Mega Man X: Maverick Hunter X2
by mewmaster93
Summary: Based on Inafune's attempt to reboot MMX, this story finds X locked into a battle with the remnants of Sigma's rebellion known as the X-Hunters. Having heard of them acquiring the deceased Zero's parts, X embarks on a desperate missions to stop the eight Maverick generals and reclaim the parts of his friend in hopes of possibly rebuilding him. The Maverick War continues now!
1. Chapter 1

" _My name is Thomas Light. I am the researcher who designed and built Mega Man X…I granted X special powers that no other robot possesses. Utilizing his conscience, he is able to worry, think, and act entirely of his own accord. This means he is also imbued with the materials necessary to facilitate the evolution of robots in the same manner as life. It is an unfortunate fact that human life is short and fleeting. I fear that I will not be able to ensure the safety of the X Project. That is why I have decided to seal him away. Perhaps he will be discovered in the far flung future, and will fight valiantly to ensure the peace of all people. Yes, I firmly believe this will come to pass…But I am not without worry. I fear he will be swept up in the war we call progress. I urge the people of the future to remember that X is mine - nay - the world's hope." ~ Final Log, Year 20XX…_

The video log is shut off on the holographic projector set up on a long, wooden table. The man who controls the projector sits at the north end of the table in a chair of his own design that connects life supporting fluids to his body via four ivory pipes wrapped around a rounded, snail-like backside. The man in question was very old, his face wrinkled and his beard as long as his face and as white as the purest snow. He wore a purple and red robe that made him look to be very wise, if the age alone did not project that image.

This man was Dr. Cain, a revolutionary scientist who helped bring forth a great advance in human society with his development of the Reploids. But he was getting very close to the end of his life, with him letting out a violent, ill cough that makes him drop the remote control that allowed him to use the projector. Once his cough was at an end, Dr. Cain furrowed his eyebrows a bit and said solemnly "…It's getting worse with every day now. I predict I only have a couple months left at this rate."

He then looked to the left at his shelves that were lined with toy robots, all of which he had built over the years and kept in a pristine condition, and stated in fond remembrance "Dr. Thomas Light…History may not remember you as well as it should, but if it wasn't for your developments I would not have survived this long…Though considering the state of the Reploids I made from your designs, I wonder if it was all worth it."

He then looked out towards the windows to the right, where the bright light of the setting sun peered in safely thanks to the way they were developed, stating in a regretful tone "I wonder who is to blame here for the Mavericks? The fool who thought he could replicate your designs…Or the fool who unleashed the virus into the world…" After a few seconds, Dr. Cain then said "Heh…Here I am, speaking as though a long dead man is in my room listening…I suppose that's just my senility."

Cain's introspective conversation is swiftly interrupted by the sudden sound of an explosion very close by that rocks the building Cain is in. He looks out and sees that what appears to be a blast from a missile approaching where he's at. He barely seemed phased though, and he tapped a button on the right arm of his chair while stating "…So it seems fate has decided to kill my physical body now. I intended to use this later, but it seems I will have to now to prolong my life just a tiny bit longer…Thank you again, Dr. Light, and I promise I will keep the hope of the people protected just a little more…" He managed to press the button right as the explosion covers the building he was in, ending his life for certain…

…

 _It has been six months since the Maverick movement led by Sigma was put to an end by the brave efforts of X and Zero. But their victory came at two costs…Abel City suffered heavy damage and causalities thanks to Sigma's initial attack, with the worst of it being the demise of the Reploid's creator and establisher of the Maverick Hunters, Dr. Cain. The second cost was that in order for X to prevail, Zero had to sacrifice his life, his body and data buried in the sea as Sigma's base was blown apart._

 _However, while Sigma was put down, his rebellion lived on through other Mavericks, whose numbers were large enough that they were able to create a group that labeled themselves the X-Hunters, making it obvious that their goal is to take down X and avenge Sigma. The Maverick Hunters have been kept incredibly busy and stretched thin across the world in their war against the X-Hunters, but even with all the causalities on both sides the X-Hunters' leaders have not yet been revealed…However, the research into their activities has led to the discovery of a facility where the X-Hunter plan to create giant Mechaniloids for their army. Worried that these could turn the tide of the war, the Maverick Hunters are ready to send X to dismantle their facility…But with Zero's death riding on his mind, is X himself prepared to strike at the heart of the X-Hunters' operations?"_

 **Mewmaster93 Presents…An Unofficial Continuation of Inafune's Maverick Hunter X Series…**

 **Mega Man X: Maverick Hunter X2**

 **Chapter 1: The X-Hunters**

 _Month X, Day XX, Year 21XX; Maverick Hunter Base…_

There is a desolated city ruined by a Maverick attack. Fires are burning in the wreckage of technologically advanced buildings, and standard cyclops-eyed green Mavericks wandering around with arm cannons raised as they search the area for any possible survivors. Their visors allowed them to see through the smoke raising out of the crackling flames, and they identified at least one-thousand casualties from the initial destruction of the building alone. Over half of the victims were once fellow Reploids, but the Mavericks didn't care about them now that their cause was clear.

As the Mavericks made it to the center of the wreckage, one detected an energy signature and gestured his left hand out beside his head to order at least three of his brethren to go out while the other four continue on ahead. With the groups split, we focus on the three going after the energy signature, which appeared to be mobile as it quickly escaped the sights of the three Mavericks. Pausing in confusion, the Mavericks looked around to redetect the energy signature.

It's not very long though until the sound of something charging up with energy whirs in their ears, and one of them divert their attention towards the wreckage to the upper right. This would prove to be his undoing, as he is quickly taken out by a large, single red shot of energy. The shot takes out the Maverick and creates an explosion against the ground that's just big enough to knock his two partners back.

One Maverick is knocked back into a sharp protrusion of metallic debris that tears into his chest and takes out the main circuitry, rendering the Maverick limp as sparks fly out of it's open chest. The other Maverick lands on the back of it's legs, damaged but still able to pull itself up after grabbing briefly onto it's right knee. The lone Maverick looks where the attack was fired at and sees a tiny crater and some smoke rising out of it. Detecting the energy signature from before, the Maverick looks up and points his gun to fire a small energy bullet from his gun.

The bullet punches a hole through the smoke and heads towards a shadowy figure atop a slanted metal beam. The figure leaps off and avoids the shot, and the Maverick quickly cocks it's gun and steps back towards a wall with a small broken window behind him. The Maverick sees the figure from before sprint across the ground in a flash and he quickly fires two bullets to try and hit them. The figure sprints again, but this time he past the right side of the Maverick's body.

The Maverick tensely holds onto his gun as he leans back against the wall, and he had no idea at this point where the figure was. Little did he know that his desperate act of looking back and forth would prove to be in vain as the person he was looking for was standing right behind him, holding his rounded blue arm cannon through the broken window to prepare and finish the Maverick off. It only takes a few seconds for him to fire a shot, and in another part of the ruins the other four Mavericks hear the destruction of their last comrade as they themselves stand in front of a very damaged but still alive generic Reploid.

The four Mavericks look towards the area the sound came from, but then decide to focus entirely on the surviving Reploid. As the leader of the squad bends down ready to pick the Reploid up, another red energy shot is fired out behind him, taking out two of his comrades instantly with a straightforward blast. The remaining Maverick sans the leader takes out his gun and rapidly fires energy shots towards where the red blast came from, but the figure who fired it off begins to run towards him, moving left and right to avoid the bullets until he can roll underneath the shots and aim his arm cannon at the Maverick as he puts himself in a kneeling pose

One pellet-sized attack was fired from the arm cannon, and it cleanly punctures through the head of the Maverick. The attack takes out the central processor of the Maverick and causes it to destabilize, and as it falls back it only takes a few moments for it to explode. It was then that it was clear who this figure was. It was a sleek blue human-sized robot with armored feet, a section segmented chest plate, a helmet with light-colored sharp ridges and a red triangular-like crystal on the forehead of it, and a rounded arm cannon with a glowing red inside. The robot's face looked like a human, though with green eyes instead of any of the standard colors one would have.

This robot's name is X, and he is the famous Maverick Hunter who defeated the rebellious Sigma. But right now he's reached a bit of a crisis in this mission of his, as the last remaining Maverick has picked up the Reploid and placed his gun against their head while locking the other arm around their neck. The Maverick states coldly "I'll shoot this Reploid if you don't stop, X." X, with arm cannon lined up perfectly with the Maverick's head, hesitates once the hostage is put into the equation.

Keeping the arm cannon in front of his face, X proclaims "Let him go and surrender! You have no hope of escaping, Maverick!" "I'll be satisfied knowing there were no survivors. But can you handle another lost life on your record, X?" The Maverick stated before placing the gun right against the Reploid's head. The words of the Maverick affect X a bit, but he still held the arm cannon and proclaimed "I said let him go! This is your last warning!"

Suddenly, the Reploid fights against the Maverick's grasp and swings his right arm up to try and grab hold of the gun. The Reploid struggles with the Maverick visibly while stating weakly "T-Take the shot X! Don't let him escape! H-He has the data needed to…complete a dangerous weapon!" Watching the Reploid struggle to hold on to the gun, however, makes X suddenly freeze up in immense hesitation.

He is reminded of events from six months back, when his comrade and trusted friend Zero was latched onto the back of a Ride Armor piloted by the rogue Maverick Hunter Vile, his body radiating with his own energy as he prepared to put an end to Vile in a single self-destruct. As Vile's Ride Armor shook back and forth to get rid of Zero, X hears Zero's words echo in his mind _"X! There's nothing more you can do! It's over!"_

Zero then detonates himself to take out Vile's Ride Armor, while at the same time a gunshot can be heard coming from reality, bringing X out of his memories just in time to see that the Maverick had succeeded in winning the struggle, using his gun to shoot the Reploid through the head, and without the need for a hostage the Maverick lets go of the Reploid and raises both of his hands up while stating "Too late X…The data has been transferred to my leader."

As X looks down at the Reploid, he feels guilty for failing to react properly to the scenario, and he hangs his arms down while lifting himself off the ground as the area suddenly changes into a series of cybernetic squares, with the Mavericks and Reploids becoming wireframes that fade from view in a matter of seconds. Once everything was gone, X was left standing in a barely lit open room with his eyelids shut and his arm cannon transformed back into a regular, metallic hand. A stand rises up in front of him with a computer screen glowing bright red and the words "Exercise Failed" placed on it as a voice stated the same thing a moment later.

X promptly opens his eyelids and presses a button on the screen to put the stand away, stating to himself as he looks down at his right palm "I hesitated again…I keep remembering Zero's sacrifice every time I try to do this exercise." Looking at his right palm caused him to think about how, in his last moments, Zero gave X his blaster to use against Sigma. The blaster proved very useful, but it was just another reminder of the fact that Zero was dead…Though at the very least a part of him lived on through X, which at least made the robot feel somewhat better.

X sighed and lowered his arm, stating quietly "I have to stay focused…I'm about to go on another mission." Looking up, X only gets a moment to put on a serious expression before he is caught by surprised thanks to a voice coming from behind him "I should've known I'd find you here again, X." X turned around, and was greeted by a Reploid that was slightly taller than him. He had mostly black metal on his body, especially when it came to his armored boots and broad metallic shoulders, but there was some yellow stripes mixed in there to make him come across as both distinct and dutiful. The Reploid wore had a helmet that was shaped a bit like an officer's cap, but with metal that wrapped around his human-like face. The Reploid approached X and stopped a few feet away from him, and he placed his left fist against the plating extending from around his belted waist a moment later.

X raised a hand up and saluted, saying respectfully to the man "Officer Signas. What brings you here?" Signas calmly said to X with a half-smile on his face "At ease X, I just came here to let you know that it's almost time for you to be deployed to the X-Hunters' robot making facility…But it seems you already knew that and decided to get a warm-up in before you left. How did it go?" Signas' question made X lower his head a bit in shame, and Signas could read his distress well enough to say as he lifted his hand to his chin "Still not doing any better, huh?"

"No…" X quietly said, but he then lifted his head up and looked firmly at Signas before telling him "But it won't affect my performance. I'll go in, eliminate whatever super weapons the X-Hunter have created, and destroy the facility so they can't use it again." The way X showed a level-headed mind and focus towards the mission made it all the more difficult for Signas to say what he was going to next.

As he raised a hand to his chin, Signas told X regretfully "Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that thanks to some details we've gotten from our intel on the place, you're going to have to have someone accompany you on this mission." The news made X grimace for a moment in melancholy, but Signas told him to try and ease his concerns and make him understanding that he was on his side in this matter "I wish I could've objected to the request the Commander made X, but he did have a valid point here…The facility is much larger than anything you've had to deal with so far. It's best to have two hunters infiltrate the place and cover more ground so nothing slips by."

X was quiet for the moment, until Signas said to him after a momentary pause to gather his thoughts "X, it's been six months. I've done what I can to make sure you would only have to go on solo missions…But perhaps teaming up with someone will do you a lot of good." X considered Signas' words for a bit, and then proceeded to ask while looking him straight in the eyes "Who am I being partnered up with?"

Lowering his right arm in front of him, Signas presses a button on the cuff of his armor and summons forth a small wireframe hologram of a Reploid with green armor, two antennae on the sides of his helmet and a red light on top of it, and a rather relaxed smile on his yellow colored face. "You'll be working with Persius, leader of our Green Biker Unit. He is well-trained in riding all manner of Ride Bikes, but he is no slouch in ground combat either. I think the two of you will get along just fine." Signas explains before shutting off the hologram, leaving X to mumble out "Persius, huh? …Ok, I'm ready to begin the mission then, Officer Signas."

"Then head to the hangar. We'll be dropping you outside the facility on Ride Bikes via air carrier." Signas says, and with a nod of his head X said "Understood. I'll head there immediately." He then walked past Signas and went for the door out of the training room, which disappeared in a hexagonal pattern thanks to teleportation technology, and with the path clear X sprinted towards the hangar by going through the brightened hallways of the base. Signas turned towards the door and said "Good luck X…"

A couple hours later, we find a small, advanced carrier jet flying through the dark cloudy skies above what appeared to be a desolate rocky wasteland. The jet flew at a standard speed and was pretty high off the ground to avoid detection. In the back of the jet, X could be seen kneeling next to a futuristic bike with a single wheel at the front that was positioned sideways so it could activate a small pulse that allow it to hover off of the ground. The bike was built so that the pedals were placed against sides of the large engine, and the entire bike was colored blue, as expected of something that X rode personally.

X was busy checking the side of the machine for any defects in the engine, calibrating a few wires past the panel he opened up for a few seconds before he was satisfied with his work and shut the panel, standing up and saying to himself "All clear." Before he was could get on his Ride Bike though, X turned to the left and was greeted by the Reploid Signas told him about before, Persius, who looked exactly as the hologram described him as before. The Reploid walked towards X with his right hand raised and a smile on his face.

"So you're X. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm…" "Persius, leader of the Green Biker Unit. Officer Signas told me a lot about you." X interrupted Persius and extended his right hand out to greet the Reploid properly, and with a surprised expression Persius shook hands with X and said "I'm honored that you know my name X, even if it was through another Reploid. I've also heard a lot of stories about what you've done for the Maverick Hunters, all of them praiseworthy."

Chuckling a bit in embarrassment, X says humbly "I've worked just as hard as everyone else. All that matters is stopping the Mavericks from causing trouble for the humans and Reploids." Persius and X let go of their handshake, with Persius laying a hand against his left hip before gesturing out the other and saying "I've heard plenty of stories about your humility as well. Glad to see they weren't falsified. Seriously X, it's an honor to be working with the hero who quashed Sigma and his rebellion…I'll try not to weigh you down."

"Don't worry about that. We're working together as equals here." X said with a comforting expression on his face, and Persius told him in an appreciative tone "Then the X-Hunters have plenty to worry about. We'll take this facility down and perhaps find out some information on their leaders within an hour." X nodded his head in agreement before all of a sudden a radio com activates within the jet, stating clearly to the two of them as they lift their heads up to listen _"We're approaching enemy air space. Get on your Ride Bikes and prepare to drop!"_

"That's our cue X. Lets go show the Mavericks we mean business!" Persius exclaimed with a fist pumped into the air beside himself before he ran to his own Ride Bike nearby, which was painted green with the engines having purple on them. Otherwise though the bike looked exactly the same in structure as X's own. Both hunters mounted their Ride Bikes and revved the engines by twisting the right handlebars, and once they positioned themselves towards the back of the jet a ramp descended downward.

The ground below was revealed along with a large, constantly active facility in the distance that was built into the mountains. There were some clear artillery turrets along the rooftops of the facility, and smog was jettisoned into the sky via the long, cybernetic chimneys. With the turbulence from this high elevation blowing right at them, X and Persius revved their engines one last time and then rode forth onto the ramp, launching themselves straight down towards the ground at high-speeds. Their descent is met with the facility launching a series of heat-seeking missiles towards them, but X and Persius are able to safely raise their arm cannons and fire them off at the missiles.

Well aimed shots allowed them to destroy the missiles by puncturing the caps and setting them off prematurely, creating explosions whose aftereffects the two hunters ride through before continuing their descent towards the ground. Before they land, the two hunters lift up on their bikes to level them so the gravity repelling of their front wheel can cushion the momentum of their rapid descent. Once at ground level the two ride off towards the facility, where the front walls open up with jointed arms lifting away chunks of rock so the laser turrets could start firing away at both hunters.

The air was filled with blue-green laser fire, but X kept a cool-head and arched his eyebrows before revving the engines of his Ride Bike and activating the boosters, both of which release a burst of blue light before propelling X forward. Persius on the other hand pops a wheelie on his Ride Bike, aiming himself for the slanted rock up ahead as the speed of his bike increased. It was a very risky move to make as it left him vulnerable to the lasers, but he just kept a confident smile on his face until the bike hit the rock at just the perfectly angle and launched both itself and it's rider high into the air.

"Woo-hoo!" Persius proclaimed as his bike flew right over all the lasers safely, and to cover the rest of the distance between here and the facility he activated his boosters to propel through the air, putting him right over X before he lands on the ground with a bit of skidding in the back as he tries to level himself and continue through the last stretch of ground. X was impressed with Persius' Ride Bike ability, but focused on that only for a moment as the entrance to the facility was rapidly approaching and a bipedal bulky green Maverick with heavy armor plating was standing in wait.

Persius swerved to the right so X could have a clear shot of the Maverick, and X promptly raised and charged his arm cannon until the barrel glowed bright red. A charged shot fired through the air pierces right through the center of the Maverick and takes it out as X applies the brakes of his Ride Bike and swerves it to the side as it stops ten feet away from the exploding Maverick, while Persius stops Ride Bike beside him, though he keeps his pointed forward. "Nice shot! Looks like the ride went off without a hitch." He said as he gets off his bike.

As X does the same he turns to Persius and states "That was a smart move to use that rock to get over the lasers. I'll have to try something like that if I get in the same situation." Persius gestures towards himself with one hand and says "Your praise is welcomed X. But now we need to decide how to tackle the base." He points to it with his right hand, and X turns to it to see that there were two metallic passages, one leading straight ahead and another going down.

"I'll cover the straightaway, you head into the basement and see if you can salvage some data. Keep your comm. link open at all times." X says with authority as he grabs onto the side of his arm cannon and looks towards the straight passage, Persius whips out his arm cannon and holds it out beside himself, stating in a humored tone "You do the same. Call if something is giving you and trouble." He then sprints for the lower path while X goes his own, the two making a safe infiltration into the base easily.

X sprinted through the facility with the help of his rocket propelled jet boots, keeping a focused mind on the obstacles ahead of him as his boots burned up the purple metal floors behind him. The first obstacle was a mechanical pillar that screwed down to block the way to the next corridor, but X just stopped his advance and aimed his arm cannon forward to fire away a few laser pellets at the top of the pillar, doing enough damage quickly to make the whole thing explode.

X then leaps through the explosion and rolls along the ground before kicking into a run, where he notices a few small two-legged Reploids with screwdriver noses minding their own business near some red creates filled with parts. But the moment they turned to face X they began firing at him with miniature turrets attached to the sides of their body. X took them out with a single pellet each while continuing to sprint forward.

Another pillar gets in his way soon after, but X has enough speed to simply jump forward, going into a tumble that takes him right underneath the falling pillar without fear while simultaneously aiming his arm cannon forward to blast down three more of those screwdriver Reploids. Once past these initial defenses, X stumbled past the rock walls of the facility and entered a more wide open area, where he caught the glimpse of something very worrying to the left. Assembled across hundreds of conveyor belts were the fully constructed left and right legs of what appeared to be a gigantic Mechaniloid.

After shooting down a couple of aerials enemies, X stepped back and leaned against a nearby purple metal wall, placing a hand on the right side of his helmet in order to activate the communicator, stating to the hunters on the other line "It's worse than the intel suggested. The X-Hunters are constructing an army of Mechaniloids. I've just caught a glimpse of the leg assembly line, but I imagine there's more further in." _"I can back X up on that…I've just run into the torso production line down in the basement. They're carrying the parts to a room up ahead, I'll try and check it out."_ Persius says on the other line.

" _Advance carefully you two. If the X-Hunters have assembled enough Mechaniloids even you might be in trouble, X."_ Signas advises from the other line, and X nodded his head and said "I'll meet up with Persius and assess the situation, but I imagine we should be prepared to set up a bomb to bury the place quickly?" _"You assume correctly. Persius was given one before the mission began just in case. Keep him safe X."_ Signas says afterwards.

"Roger." X says, confirming his full understanding of the orders before he shut off communications and resumed his advance. He dropped down the platform he was on and landed on a conveyor belt that was in the middle of assembling the flying drones he encountered moments ago. As he kneeled down and moved along the conveyor belt a bit, X took aim at the first orange metal chamber that was in his way and charged up the arm cannon fully, firing off a shot that burned cleanly through the top of the chamber and destroyed it, which in turn had the effect of shutting down the conveyor belt.

Forced to move on his own again, X ran forward across the conveyor belt until he had to make a jump over a pile of malfunctioning robots, though before he made it over a claw latched itself around his waist and suspended him in place over the junk heap. X grunted a bit as he tried to pry the claw off of his body, but he had to be more concerned with the incoming wave of aerial drones a few seconds later. Before he took unnecessary damage, X converted his right arm into a cannon and slammed it against the joint of the claw, blasting right through it to break himself free but finding himself rapidly descending towards the junk pile afterwards.

With quick thinking, X takes aim at the wall in front of him and fires a charged shot, the recoil thrusting his arm upward but also making his body launch backwards to safety at the edge of the conveyor belt. He slides back a bit on the belt but recovers and quickly disposes of the drones with some well-aimed pellets, continuing on by leaping over the junk pile and landing on a dead end consisting of mint-green metal. By this point X was wise enough to look up and see a ladder leading to the next part of the facility, so he leaped up at his maximum height and grab the bottom ring, disposing of his arm cannon for the moment so he could hastily climb to the top.

There he was barely given a moment's respite as suddenly the orange metallic walls on both sides of this more confined space shake, both of them being pulled closer together by a drone at the very top of them all. X made the brave leap to the right wall and used the magnetic force available in his hand to hold onto the wall while he got his feet into position against it, looking up and judging the distance he had to climb before he released the magnetic force and leaped off of the wall to the opposite one.

He rapidly kicks off both walls to scale the passage, making it to the very top just as the way was sealed off behind him. He didn't see the need to take out the Reploid behind him and continued on his way through the facility, finding another ladder that brought him up to a more open hallway where a couple of those gigantic Mechaniloids were almost finished being constructed. Pausing for a moment and gritting his teeth, X said "I have to hurry" with urgency and sprinted on ahead until he found a glass pipe leading into the deeper recesses of the facility.

Jumping into the pipe without hesitation, X activated the comm. link and said "Persius, do you read? I'm dropping into the basement at this very moment." _"Good timing then! I'm sorry to say I've run into a little resistance and require your assistance, X…"_ Persius said, and a crash could be heard in the background that suggested environmental destruction. "I'm on my way!" X said after widening his eyes in concern for his fellow hunter. He then dropped communications and held his hands above his helmet, grasping the barrel of his arm cannon and preparing a charged shot for whatever lies ahead.

Once X made it past the pipe, he dropped into a room with barely any lighting that was filled with half-built construction platforms suspended in the air by violet girders and broken orange ladders. Landing on the platform and keeping his charge going, X only had a few seconds to register the environment before the sound of more destruction made him swerve his body around 180 degrees and focus his arm cannon towards the 'resistance' that Persius mentioned.

Standing a towering four stories tall in this room was an even bigger version of the Mechaniloids being built in this facility. The Mechaniloid had a large rounded torso and a string of spheres acting as both the shoulders and arms with a spiked ball at the end for hands. The head of the Mechaniloid was screwed on tight and it had piercing half-circle yellow eyes that glowed through the dark and gave the Mechaniloid a sense of menace as it glared down at X and quickly swung one of it's spiked ball arms down at him.

X leaped backwards and landed on a platform one tier down behind him as the spiked ball crashed right through the platform and took down it and all the support columns together. While X stood on the platform he gauged where the enemy's weakness might be when Persius suddenly proclaimed from somewhere else in the room "X! I haven't been able to damage this Mechaniloid so far! I've tried attacking all parts of the body and legs, but nothing seems to work!" Catching the words of his hunter clearly, X murmurs to himself as the Mechaniloid prepares another attack "…Nothing works on the body or legs, huh?"

He then instantly determined how to defeat the Mechaniloid and leaped back again before the platform he was on was destroyed, this time firing off the charged shot he kept in his arm cannon at the torso of his foe to not only create an explosion big enough to obscure his movements, but to also propel himself back so he could thrust his legs back against the wall. While he had the time to do so, X not only charged up his arm cannon again but he also used his wall kick and magnetic force to repeatedly climb the wall.

Once he was at the highest possible point without touching the ceiling, X kicks straight off the wall and goes right for the Mechaniloid's head. He pulls back on his arm cannon and waits until he was right above the head, at which point he thrusts it down right on the very top of the head and lets loose the charged shot within. The blast of red energy burns a hole right through the head of the Mechaniloids and goes down into the torso, shooting out at the very bottom of it and connecting with the ground to create a small explosion.

X then uses the position his arm is in to convert the cannon back into a hand and quickly vault over the Mechaniloid, landing on the ground on the far left side of the room where Persius was standing safely at the door with eyes widened in awe of what X had just accomplished. As the Mechaniloid collapses forward without the ability to support itself, X says to Persius with a professional look in his eyes "Thanks for the hint Persius. I couldn't have done it without you."

X's humbleness was accompanied by the Mechaniloid's loud collapse against the ground while it was covered by a series of explosions that dismantled the body until there was not even a single bolt left. Persius chuckled and said to X "Heh, you could've done it without my help. I almost got myself killed there…" X laid a hand on Persius' right shoulder and told him "Don't worry about it. You survived, and that's all that matters. Now lets get the bomb set up and get out of here."

Persius nodded his head, and after X let go of him he ran to the center of the room and took out the collapsed bomb he had attached to his belt. Pressing down on the button atop it, the bomb expanded out until it was the size of a small Reploid. A countdown for two minutes starts ticking down, and Persius turns around so both him and X can go straight for the door out of this room. The two make a fast sprint through the basement of the facility, working in tandem to take down any drones that try to stop them while Persius keeps the timer up on a hologram before his visor.

The two hunters eventually make it back out of the facility close to their Ride Bikes. Quickly mounting them, they rode off away from the facility, putting quite a few miles between them and it so they don't even get caught a bit by the explosion that goes off a mere thirty seconds later. The large-scale explosion sends out a blinding light through the area and consumes the facility with a dome shaped blast of fire and raw energy, the explosion itself growing larger until it reaches it's maximum size and slowly fades out, though it does send out a shockwave across miles of the wasteland that kicks up wind towards X and Persius in the process of fading out. The two hunters had a well enough grip on their Ride Bikes to not be blown back.

Once the explosion is finished and the facility's destruction was ensured, X looked at Persius and said "Mission Accomplished. You did a great job Persius. I'm glad to have worked with you." X extended his arm out from the Ride Bike towards Persius so they perform a congratulatory shake, and Persius accepted it with a smile while saying "Likewise…One day we'll have to work together again. And considering the X-Hunters are still out there, that might happen pretty soon." Their celebration is cut short when their communicators activate, and X says to the hunters on the other line "We've finished up here. We're ready to be called back."

" _Not so fast there X…We're still detecting a Maverick signal in the immediate area close to your location…No wait, three Mavericks? Seven? …What's going on here…Eleven Maverick signals have suddenly appeared on our radar near your current location. X, Persius, be on your guard."_ Signas warns with a concerned tone of voice, but immediately after he was done speaking Persius and X start to turn their heads around only for something to come through the air straight towards Persius from afar.

A spiked wheel, without warning, slices horizontally right through the center of Persius' body, taking out his arms at the elbows as well. Persius' expression freezes at one of utter shock while X looks on in abject disbelief as the upper half of his body is dropped to the ground and the spiked wheel boomerangs back through the air. X immediately gets off of his Ride Bike and goes to Persius' fallen body, which was lifeless as sparks shot out from the wiring at the bottom where he was cut.

X picks up the upper body in his arms and hoists it up, looking him straight in the eyes while stating in a panic "Persius! Persius, please respond!" Persius was unresponsive, his life ended in that very instant the wheel had struck him. With the situation reminding him of Zero's demise, X was frozen in place for a few seconds before a guttural, beastly voice calls out to him "Hahaha! I got his worthless partner! That was very satisfying!"

X turned to the left and saw the perpetrator responsible for Persius' demise. It was large green bipedal alligator Reploid with webbed feet, white metal hands, two orange spiked wheels around it's shoulders, spikes lined across it's long tail and backside, and a vicious grin on his reptilian snout. This mysterious Reploid was surrounded by seven others of various appearances, but they were too numerous to detail at this moment. Furious at Persius' demise, X exclaimed to the mysterious Reploid "How dare you! Who are you?!"

"You shouldn't be focused on these eight, Maverick Hunter X. Draw your attention to us, if you would." A Reploid with polite mannerisms addresses X, making the robot lift his head up to see three more Reploids riding through the air on small thin mechanical platforms. The Reploid who addressed him was a suave looking robot with primarily purple metal across his body. He had boots with spiked collared kneecaps and pointed extensions of metal around his waist that extends down past his kneecaps, each one containing three red lights. On his waist was the handle of a laser blade, and attached to his shoulders were two very broad plates that looked like the metal that extended from his waist. His eyes were devoid of any pupils, but he had a smirk on his face that showed a hint of happiness.

The Reploid to the right of him was the largest of the three, with a gigantic red torso that was barely supposed by his brown-yellow legs. His arms were heavily armored, with spikes on his knuckles, wrists and shoulders, and his blue neck was also heavily spiked. His face looked a lot like a pig's, complete with small rounded snout and bulky chin. His eyes were also devoid of pupils, but glowed a ferocious bright green. Attached to the back of his head was a spiked-ball carried around by a chain of small steel balls.

The third Reploid was the smallest of the bunch, but he wore a black cape around his body that only made it so his pointed red-blue feet and metallic, bearded golden face were visible, especially since his arms were folded within his cape and a metallic Russian-like cap was atop his head. There were eleven Reploids in total, and all of them could be considered Mavericks based on the emblem of Sigma they wore on their bodies. The middle Maverick who addressed X before says with a polite bow forward "It's an honor to meet the legendary Maverick Hunter face-to-face. I'm sure you have some idea of who we are by now…"

X, fighting against his desire to rip into the Mavericks for what they've done here, cools his head long enough to see reasoning and understand just who the eleven Mavericks were. "Y-You're the X-Hunters leaders, aren't you?" He stated. "An astute observation. I am Agile, and the powerful brute you see to the right of me is Violen…The short, wonderful genius to the left being Serges. Now, you might be wondering…Why would we suddenly ambush you like this?" Agile inquired while lifting his body up and wagging his right pointer finger in the air.

X grit his teeth and cautiously waited for a response, to which Agile responds to by suddenly holding his right hand up beside his head and stating "Why don't we show you?" In unison, the three leaders of the X-Hunters suddenly summon forth an energy sphere holding within them three parts of a single robot…The robot in question being one that is quite familiar to X. X let out a gasp of sheer disbelief as he recognize the parts as belonging to Zero. The head, the body and the legs were all gathered within those three spheres, all of them intact but surprisingly not put back together into a whole unit.

"Z-Z-Zero? How is this possible?" X stuttered out in surprise, and Serges explained in a quiet but semi-senile voice "Project Revitalization…It is something I myself came up with not long after you destroyed Sigma. We salvaged Zero's parts from the remains of Sigma's base and have thus far managed to make this much progress in rebuilding him. Our endgame is to rebuild Zero and turn him against you and the Maverick Hunters."

"Why would you do something like that?! Zero's not someone you can use as your pawn!" X exclaimed furiously, something that wasn't helped when Agile replied "Do you hate us for this? Then you have a chance to stop us from reassembling Zero. We've come to greet you with an ultimatum, X…We have taken over an island in the Eastern Hemisphere and set up bases across it, each one operated by the Mavericks you see below us. Inside of these bases houses a single laboratory where we'll be working on the final parts of Project Revitalization. If you wish to claim Zero's parts back, then find us in these laboratories and defeat us. But you will also have to deal with our eight Mavericks as well."

Gritting his teeth still, X inquired "Why are you telling me this? What is your end game, X-Hunters?!" "Now why would we spoil the fun of that by telling you? Run along now X, otherwise we'll all attack you here and now." Agile says, taunting X by waving his right hand forward. Before X made a foolish move, Signas calls in and stated _"We shouldn't test them…We have no idea what they're capable of. I'm bringing you back to base X…You and Persius' remains."_ With the appearance of the X-Hunters and Zero's Parts burned into his mind, X is teleported back to the Maverick Hunter Base via a flash of light alongside the two Ride Bikes and Persius' mechanical corpse…

 _Next Time: The First Maverick_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Dusty Dune Devil, Overdrive Ostrich**

There was quite a bit of silence within the Maverick Hunter HQ not long after X returned from his mission. The death of Persius hit most of the hunters hard, especially with the Green Biker Unit, who paid their respects to their leader by driving his remains to the junkyard themselves. X was called to the top of the headquarters by Signas, an effort that took him quite a while considering he was still feeling conflicted about everything that had just happened.

Zero's remains being picked up by the X-Hunters, Persius' death, the threat presented by the generals of the Mavericks, it all really bothered X. As he walked through the halls of the HQ, he thought to himself _"It should've ended with Sigma…But everything seems a lot worse now. So many innocent Reploids and humans are dying, and we can't save them all. But the X-Hunters have Zero's parts…If I could just get them back, then perhaps…"_

X shook his head, saying to himself "No…I don't think anyone could put him back together again here, especially since Dr. Cain died six months ago. Still though, I should probably get Zero's parts back before they are used for the X-Hunters vile purposes." X then raises his right hand up and lays it against a data scanner next to a sliding green door, and a voice remarks as the door slides open "Maverick Hunter Confirmed…Welcome, X."

Going through the door, X finds himself in the central command room, a bright circular location with windows surrounding the room and giving everyone inside a good look at the currently peaceful city outside. Lined up in front of computers around the room were dozens of male and female Reploid navigators, all of whom guided the Maverick Hunters on their missions no matter where in the world they were. At the very center of the room stood Signas, who was looking at a holographic projection of the planet with dots and lines marking key locations of Maverick activity around the world.

Once X was close enough he asked quietly "You needed me, Officer Signas?" Signas, with arms folded behind his back, said in an subdued but apologetic tone to X "…I would first like to offer the deepest of apologies for my inability to stop the higher-ups from putting Persius in as your partner. Had I known the X-Hunters would've been there, I never would've let him go out into the field with you, especially knowing how you were handling Zero's own demise…"

"Officer Signas…You don't need to apologize. I do feel bad about Persius' death, but now the X-Hunters have exposed themselves and we have a chance to make sure no other Reploids fall victim to their vile schemes." X states confidently while tightly clenching his right fist in anger towards the X-Hunters. Signas hears the crunch of metal from X's fist and turns around, telling him with a little smile on his face "You're absolutely right X, and that's why I called you here."

Signas steps once to the left and then raises his arm up to touch one of the dots on the glove, the area where he pressed glowing green before the glove transitions into a holographic representation of a small island filled with multiple facilities. Connected to each facility was a mugshot of the eight Mavericks, and Signas explained while standing sideways and putting his arm behind his back again "Thanks to what the three X-Hunters leaders have said along with some of our present intel we were able to locate the exact island they mentioned."

X walked up to the island map and looked it over, inquiring as his eyes focused on the mugshots of the eight Mavericks "Did you confirm all of their presences?" "Yes. Everyone you saw is on the island…However, we are having a more difficult time locating the laboratories of the three X-Hunter leaders. I imagine they are hidden somewhere within the separate facilities." Signas answered, expressing some concern at the lack of information on the most important of the X-Hunters.

"I'll do my best to find them, but…" X hung his head down a bit, and Signas knew right away what was bothering him and said "You're wondering what the point of grabbing Zero's parts is when we can't reassemble them, aren't you?" X flinched for a moment and lifted his head up, stating to Signas with some insistence "I-It's nothing to do with reassembling Zero. I mean if we could we should, but I'm just really more concerned about preventing them from using Zero for vile purposes."

Signas raises a hand to his chin and states "Funny you should bring that up though…I was actually speaking with someone about that before you got here. Doctor, would you please tell X what you told me?" Signas steps aside and lets the ground open up where he stood in a circular manner, and a technological blue platform with an overabundance of wires rises up and locks into place in the floor. A bright white light glows in the center of the platform, and from it appears a barely solidified hologram of Dr. Cain using a cane as support even though he had no physical body.

X was a bit surprised to see Dr. Cain in this context, leading to him remarking while holding his arms out "D-Dr. Cain? What's going on here? I thought you died when Sigma attacked Abel City…" "I am definitely dead, X…However, my consciousness was transferred to this capsule before it was too late." Dr. Cain explained happily, and after suppressing his surprise X stated to himself "…A capsule? That sounds familiar…"

"Anyways, I'm sorry I hadn't revealed myself to you sooner X, but there was never really a good chance before now. Now then, in regards to your concerns about Zero…I am happy to inform you that there is a great possibility of bringing him back to life." Dr. Cain said, and X's eyes widen in surprise before he mentions "But Dr. Cain, how can that be?" Dr. Cain then explained to X "Worry about your mission for now. I am going to find someone very crucial to help us out, and then I will provide more answers later. Just know that Zero will be in good hands once you get all of his parts back. Good luck X, the Reploids and Humans are counting on you."

Dr. Cain then suddenly cut out, his capsule sinking back into the ground and leaving Signas to explain "I wish you two had more time for idle chat, but he is right in saying you need to worry about the mission. We have no idea how long it'll take for the X-Hunters to make a move." "Knowing that there's a possibility of bringing Zero back is all I needed to hear right now anyways. So I'm guessing my mission has already been approved by the Commander?" X inquired with a focused look in his eyes.

Signas nodded his head, telling X afterwards "It is considered a top priority that you stop the X-Hunters. I think it's only fair that I tell you now that I will barely be involved in this mission from here on out. The Commander is out dealing with political affairs for all of us, and he's left me in charge temporarily…And with Persius' death, I have to assign a new leader to the Green Biker Unit once they are back at the base. There is a lot of other affairs, but as a Maverick Hunter it is my duty to uphold the order here, even if I'm not out on the battlefield like you, X."

"Thank you Officer Signas. But who will be my navigator then?" X inquired, and Signas said "I'm glad you asked. As I said, everything has already been sorted out. I shall introduce you to your new navigator before I go." Signas then turned to the right and walked over to a Reploid sitting down on the third chair from the right of the entrance. As X followed behind him, Signas laid a hand down on the back of the hovering chair and said "Alia, I would like to introduce you to your new partner."

After Signas lets go of the chair the person sitting in it turns around halfway and is revealed to be a female Reploid with pink and white armor, some compacted blonde hair, blue eyes, and a transceiver on her head. As the Reploid laid a hand against the left side of her transceiver she said with a pleasant smile on her face while extending a hand out towards X "So you're X. It's nice to meet you in person. I'll help you out to the best of my ability." X and Alia shake hands briefly, with X commenting "I haven't seen you around here before."

"I'm a new recruit to the Maverick Hunters, that's probably why, but Officer Signas updated me on everything I need to know about you and your mission today." Alia spoke quickly and with a clear focus on her duty, made especially evident when after they introduce themselves Alia turns around to focus on her computer screen and keyboard. She rapidly types away at it, mentioning to X right away "As such, I have already compiled all possible information on the eight Mavericks you'll be dealing with. Whenever you need to know something, just contact me, I'll always be available to reach."

"Glad to have you on board Alia." X said happily, and with his job done Signas folded his arms behind himself and states "I get the feeling you'll make a great team, but even so I feel it's my duty to wish you luck in your mission, X." Saying all that he needed to, Signas headed out of the room via the entrance, leaving X to continue speaking with Alia. X postured himself upright and turned back to look at the map of the island before he commented "Eight Mavericks to deal with…But first…"

X focused on the mugshot of the gator-like Maverick that killed Persius with a slightly bitter glare, thinking that he should go after that one first before Alia commented to him "You'll be going after Overdrive Ostrich first, X." X turned to Alia and pondered in a curious tone "Overdrive Ostrich? Why him?" Alia quickly explained while typing some commands on her keyboard to make the computer screen pop up a zoomed up version of a missile base hidden within the island's desert "Overdrive Ostrich is holed up inside of a missile base, and there's currently signs of a missile being prepped for launch near the silo. We can't risk the possibility of you being at another location when they decide to fire the missile, so it's best to send you in now to take out the missile AND Overdrive Ostrich before they can pressure us."

"…Makes sense. Anything I should know about this Maverick before I go in?" X inquired while looking over the missile base, and Alia said with a stern focus on the computer screen "I'll brief you on him once you get there. I've already setup the coordinates in the teleporter, so all you have to do is go into it to reach the missile base." X said honestly "That's impressive. Even the most trained navigators have trouble with some of our technology."

Alia didn't respond to that, being so focused on her work that it's even possible she didn't hear X speak to her, though it could be insinuated as well that she ignored it when X quietly mentioned "…Never mind, I'll go focus on the mission" and Alia replied with "That's what we're supposed to be doing, X." X hesitantly nodded his head and then ran for the door determined to begin his mission, and after a brief trip down the hallway he entered a door to the left to find himself in a room filled with teleporters. X immediately jumps into the middle one and positions himself upright so he could be enveloped by a few rings of light and be sent to the missile base where Overdrive Ostrich was.

In an instant, X finds himself dropped down near the entrance of the missile base via a beam of blue light. He starts off on a broken metal road hovering high above the endless dunes, complete with street lights and tire tracks that suggested there was activity here before Overdrive Ostrich took the place over. The air was arid, but X's armor adjusted to the increased temperature quickly and made only his vision wavy as he looked on ahead. Getting a good luck at the missile base, X noticed that the silo was still a good distance away, with him barely able to see it beyond the main building.

With the enemy haven't caught an eye of him yet, X laid a hand against the side of his helmet to connect his frequency to the Maverick Hunter HQ. The grains of sand that flew his way didn't disrupt his connection, and Alia spoke to X in about three seconds after he connected _"Thirty seconds to deploy, not bad X. I'm able to keep an eye on your movements through the cameras lined up around the base, and I'll be able to warn you if anything dangerous is up ahead…Otherwise though, contact me only when you need to know something."_

"What do you have on Overdrive Ostrich, Alia?" X immediately asked, and after Alia was heard typing for a few seconds she replied with _"Overdrive Ostrich was a former Maverick Hunter in the 7_ _th_ _Airborne Unit. He was very adept at flying until an accident cost him his metallic feathers and he was forced to retire. After that, Sigma sought him out and recruited him to his side because of his ground speed. He's very good at attacking from a distance too, so pay attention to your surroundings."_

"The 7th Airborne Unit? That's the same one Storm Eagle was under…" X commented on in surprise, remembering his old friend fondly despite the fact that he turned Maverick. _"The two were probably recruited at the same time…Overdrive Ostrich looked up to Storm Eagle, so it only makes sense that he'd join the X-Hunters to get back at you for defeating his hero, especially since he already has a grudge against the Maverick Hunters for retiring him."_ Alia explained, and with a pause X calmly said "If he truly looked up to Storm Eagle, then he wouldn't be doing this. He's gone full Maverick, and must be stopped."

" _Glad you have your priorities straight, X. Good luck."_ Alia said before signing off, and with X summoning forth his arm cannon he grabs onto the barrel and advances down the road to the missile base. He's met with his first opposition in the form of a one-wheeled Reploid with a slight armored shell protecting it. After vaulting over a raised girder X points his arm cannon down where the Reploid was going and fires a charged shot to take it out while blasting a hole through the weakened road. X takes note of that and quickly plants himself on the ground near the edge of the hole before he dropped in.

" _Structure's been corroded…The X-Hunters must have been occupying this area for a while."_ X thought to himself before he ran around the hole and continued down to the road until he was inside the missile base's garage, whose walls were made up of tons of purple metal girders and a few chambers for the trucks and cars that used to come in here. One of the sliding doors was blasted through long before X had gotten there, and the culprit was a green and yellow scorpion Reploid with circular orbs as it's tail and pincers acting as conduits for it's blasters.

The scorpion turned to looked at X and sparks moved between both pincers as it prepared to fire it's blasters. X leaped over the scorpion's shots and went for the tail, ducking down to avoid the attack from it before he turns his arm cannon back to normal and grabs onto it with both hands as he goes to the ground. Placing one foot atop the back of the tail, X quickly pulls on it with all of his strength until he rips it out from the rest of the body. After tossing the tail away X turns around and fires a couple shots inside of the Reploid to hit it's core unit and making it explode.

X then turned around after lifting an arm up to block the mechanical debris that flies his way, and he finds himself dealing with a dead end of rocks preventing him from continuing through the base. With a quick scan of the room though X noticed a ladder in front of him that would allow him to go deeper into the facility. Carefully climbing down the ladder while looking to the left, X sees another ladder at the floor below him and knew where to go next. But before he moved on to the next ladder he looked to the right and saw an open garage harboring a few Ride Bikes.

"So the Reploids that ran this place used Ride Bikes for travel…It would explain the highway right outside their base." X comments quietly to not alert the enemies of his presence, and he then goes down a few more ladders while running into more of those one-wheeled Reploids. Once at the bottom of the garage though, X runs into another obstacle in the form of a spiked floor blocking the way to the ramp that leads to the outdoors. There were no walls for him to jump off, and the spikes were just spread out enough that he wouldn't be able to jump over.

X put on a serious expression and then paused to think about his situation, realizing after not very long that the solution to his problem was discovered just moments ago. Turning to the garage doors on the left, X runs over to one and grabs onto the bottom of it, pulling up as hard as he could so he could get inside. He immediately leaps onto the closest Ride Bike and revs the engine, pulling it out of the garage and making a sharp veer towards the spikes. With the Ride Bike's levitation, X is able to move over the bed of spikes and advance up the ramp, using the Ride Bike's blaster to take out a couple enemy Reploids until he speeds right outside the garage and ends up on the desert's cliffs.

Not long after this, X sees a very tall metal girder blocking his way, and a gap past it leading to the other side of the cliffs. With quick thinking, X knew the blasters on the Ride Bike wouldn't break apart the girder, leading to him firing at the top of the girder to push it downward and make it act as a ramp that allows him to fly right over the gap to the other side. Once he made it over, Alia contacted him with a crucial warning _"Careful X! Something up ahead is whipping up a sandstorm!"_

X lifts his head up a bit in surprise as he sees a gigantic tornado of sand whirling around far ahead, and he reacts to the incoming sandstorm by using his mind to make his helmet drop a red visor in front of his eyes while a grid-like mouth piece comes in from the sides. This protects him against the sands and allows him to keep going unimpeded. The sand-filled cliffs were filled with girders and metal elevated platforms, and X had to bob and weave the Ride Bike through most of them while keeping the vehicle's balance steady.

X is then distracted momentarily when he hears some more Ride Bikes coming his way from the sides. X looks left then right and sees two silver Mavericks with a single green eye and a rocket launcher on their backs riding Ride Bikes his way. As both Mavericks fire rockets into the air, X takes one quick look at the area in front of him so he'd know where he's going before he quickly turns around and rapid-fires some shots at the Maverick directly behind him.

After getting a few hits on the Maverick's body X looks up and sees the rockets explode, sending down a rain of miniature rockets towards X. One explosion would greatly damage the Ride Bike and make it flip over depending on where it lands, so X was more concerned about pointing his arm cannon up and firing away at the rocks instead of dealing with the Mavericks. After he blew up the rockets with his shots, X looked back ahead to see what was going to be in his way next. There was a downhill slope coming up ahead, and it was leading to the large machine that was generating the sandstorm.

It would be a long way down until X would reach the whirling blades kicking up the sand, and he knew it would be pointless to try and take the machine down from here. But the Mavericks had plans for X, as they quickly reappeared to ram X's Ride Bike from both sides. They pressed against the Ride Bike as hard as they could to keep him pinned to where he was at, and they were planning to drag him down into the grinder. Seeing as X needed the Ride Bike to advance through the desert still, he knew he would have to act fast to get the Mavericks off of him.

With movement limited, X applied the brakes to his Ride Bike and had one finger close to the jump trigger. He then looked to the right and with a grunt kicked his foot out to push the Maverick away for a moment, allowing X to pull back and leap up to get out of the Mavericks' grip. The two Mavericks then crash together and go flying towards the sandstorm's origin, both them and their Ride Bikes being grinded apart into metal shrapnel within seconds. X then landed his Ride Bike back on the slope with a little sliding around, and he ducks to avoid some of the shrapnel that flies his way.

Surprisingly, the sandstorm didn't stop even with all the metal that went into the blades, but it didn't matter as X just kicked up the boosters on his Ride Bike and made the leap over the whirlwind, pulling up on his ride to make it level with the ramp going up. After that he met no resistance as he climbed up and made it to the main missile base, whose entrance he blew open by lifting his arm cannon and firing a charged shot into the very center of the door.

Once inside the missile base X kept on his Ride Bike so he'd be able to dispense any opposition faster, though he also had to be more careful as he was traversing narrow corridors with dim lighting and pipes that carried explosion fluid through the building. Alarms went off to alert the enemy of X's presence, but as X leaped over a gap in the floor and made crashed through a glass window into the main hub of the missile facility he fired away at the flashing red lights with his Ride Bike to shut them off and disable the loud noise blaring through the facility.

X then got rid of his mouthpiece and visor and brought the Ride Bike down atop a scorpion Reploid, crushing it down and allowing him to move forward before it exploded. He used his cannons to blast through five more scorpions while carefully swerving his vehicle from left to right in a swift arc. But as he does this, he happens to notice a cracked wall past a staircase that he'd end up flying into due to the Ride Bike's current speed. Without enough time to slow down, X widens his eyes for a moment and makes the brave leap right off of the Ride Bike and flips backwards through the air.

The Ride Bike crashes into the cracked wall and makes a loud enough explosion to alert more enemies to X's presence, but he quickly cocks his arm cannon and spins around while firing shots that allow him to deal with the wheeled Reploids in a few seconds. He then stops his rotation by slamming the lip of his arm cannon against the ground while kneeling forward, putting him face-to-face with the explosion from his Ride Bike.

As he lifts his head up he sees that the wall had been blown up entirely, but behind it surprisingly was a small passage dug into the sandy rocks. X didn't really care much about the passage until he saw something at the end of it, something that was very familiar to him. X picked himself up and ran to the edge of the floor, leaping forward and just barely landing on the edge of the tunnel. Alia suddenly chimed in and said _"X, the missile silo is below you. This tunnel leads to a dead end, turn around."_

"Hold on Alia…There's something important here I have to check out." X said quietly but firmly as he holds a hand against the side of the rounded tunnel and brushed away the cobwebs that had built up inside with the other. After a short walk, X was in a secluded cavern with a large, rounded white and blue pod nearby. As X said "I've seen this type of capsule before…" the pod suddenly activated, the top of it unlocking with a clockwise spin before it rose up and created a holographic cylinder that projected the image of a person for X to see.

It was an old man with a bushy white beard, a stainless lab coat, and a very fatherly appearance to him. X gasped for a moment before saying to the holograph "It's you again…" _"Hello X. If you have found this capsule, then I imagine you have been forced into conflict once more. I am quite sorry to hear that if that's the case…"_ The hologram's subdued voice says with empathy towards X, and as X steadies himself upright he looks at the hologram and whispered "Thomas Light…That's right…That's your name…"

" _I know you have probably suffered some great losses in this war between humans and Reploids…But I urge you to stay strong, to continue to trust in them both. But I understand that you cannot persuade everyone to see things peacefully, and for that reason I have prepared another four capsules for you to collect armor upgrades from."_ Light said, his voice echoing with every word he spoke. X was a bit puzzled by Light's choice of words, but didn't get to say anything as Alia suddenly contacted X and asked _"Who is this guy? He's using the same capsule technology as Dr. Cain is…"_

"Actually Alia…I think it's the other way around." X pointed out, and Alia said afterwards _"This doesn't make sense though…I've never heard of a Thomas Light before in any of our history records, and yet the level of this technology is incredible. I wonder how long it's been here for? And how does this person know you, X…"_ Alia's intrigue was very clear, but X could only say to her as he looked at the hologram of Light "…I don't know. He gave me some armor back during Sigma's rebellion, but I swear I saw him before then."

" _Whenever you're ready X, step inside the capsule and you'll receive the first of four Second Armor parts, the Air Dash Boots. With it, you will be able to propel forward in mid-air at the very height of a jump. If any of your armor parts get damaged, then take comfort in the fact that I will be able to transmit the specs to your new partner so she can help repair them."_ Light suddenly said, the reference to Alia making X flinch in surprise. But Light's visage disappeared from the capsule's frame before he could question him on that. Alia herself was a little unhinged from this as she murmured _"H-How does he know me?"_

"I get the feeling that wasn't just a recording…" X commented on before he stepped forth into the cylinder of energy. His body was covered by a downpour of blue data streams, all of which went to work upgrading his legs as Light said it would. When the process was done, X now was equipped with white metallic boots with red pointed kneecaps and orange glass on top of his feet. The capsule then sealed up as he got out of it while Alia commented _"Incredible, I've noticed an instant increase in your defense. At least 14.5% in the feet, 18% in the legs…Whoever this Thomas Light person is, he was a genius even for OUR time."_

"It seems that way. Anyways, sorry about the detour Alia, I'm returning to the mission now." X said while sprinting out of the tunnel and leaping down to a deeper part of the missile base. _"No problem. You're almost there anyhow, but I hope the alarms going off doesn't make them-"_ As Alia says that and X lands on the ground, an earthquake trembles through the facility as the sounds of a very big rocket engine flaring up echoed into the building.

X immediately began running for the door at the end of the hallway, tearing through the last scorpion Reploid with a charged shot before pushing his way through the sliding iron barred door. He made it into the missile silo right as the main, six-story tall silver missile was getting ready to be fired off. _"No! X, get on that missile and shut it down before it reaches maximum velocity!"_ Alia exclaimed urgently, with X already sprinting towards the missile while preparing both of his hands to grab onto it, him exclaiming "On it!" with all of his focus as the missile fired off from the ground.

It pushed higher into the air, going slow at first until the flames of the rockets pressed against the ground enough to rapidly increase it's speed. X knew he'd have no choice but to leap out from the edge of the platform and barely brush against the plume of smoke coming from the missile so he could attach to the nearby wall and jump up rapidly to catch up with the missile. With the help of the Air Dash Boots, X was able to make each jump and climb up just in time to grab onto the top of the missile's rockets with his right hand.

The missile made it out of the silo and rapidly rose through the air as X fought hard against it's velocity and climbed up to the top of the missile. The sky was coming into focus past the clouds quickly, meaning X didn't have long before the missile would change trajectory. He stood before one of the panels and quickly ripped it off, thinking of what happened to Abel City as Alia advised him on how to stop the missile, leading to X reaching into the processor and pulling out it's pulsating core unit with a single tug. The electricity sprung out from the broke wires like a frenzied net, but X only suffered a few lashes from the electricity as he quickly leaped right off the side of the missile without fear.

He dived down towards the open desert plains far away from the missile silo, and as X used his new boots to propel himself faster downward the missile blew up behind him, the sound of it not reaching X for a few seconds due to how fast he was falling. The missile's parts are flung out across the sky and sent hurtling down in burning fragments towards various parts of the desert, with a lot of them following X. As he closed in on the ground, X flipped himself around, crushed the core of the missile, and then summoned forth his arm cannon to send out a charged shot so it'd work against the momentum he had built up and prevent his impact from greatly recoiling through his body.

Once X is on the ground, he finds himself atop the sandstone and metal roof of the missile base, and he looks to both the left and right to watch as the debris from the missile crashes down deep into the sandy dunes. Letting out a sigh of relief but keeping a cautious enough eye out for debris that might head his way, X says "I managed to stop the missile, Alia. But there's still no sign of Overdrive Ostrich." _"I wouldn't worry too much about that X. I'm detecting a Maverick signal close by…In fact, it's coming from the left of you, and it's coming in fast!"_ Alia said immediately.

"Huh?" X remarked quietly before turning his head and seeing a shadowy blur moving across the dunes, the person weaving through the debris of the missile before it clearly turned it's head to look at X and suddenly leaped a couple miles through the air to reach the area X was standing it. When it landed the Maverick had it's back turned to X, but most of it's design could clearly be seen even from there.

He was a very tall Maverick comprised mostly of purple metal with two sleek legs that comprised half the height of his body, with curved feet similar to those you'd find on birds. His upper body was large and rounded, with a back filled with torn looking blue metal spikes to signify where his wings used to be, and his yellow shoulders connected to his yellow five-fingered hands and gauntlets, each one having a sharp purple blade sticking out from the elbow. His long metal neck stuck out from a hole near the front of his body, and his mouth was shaped like a duck's beak while his eyes were permanently slanted down. He had a very clear Sigma symbol on his forehead too.

The Maverick glanced over his right shoulder and smirked with his beak's teeth, then turned around with a single leap and looked X straight in the eyes. With a serious expression, X said to the Maverick "So you're Overdrive Ostrich. What do you think you're doing here?!" Overdrive Ostrich lifted his head up high and opened it's beak, telling X in a slightly gargled voice "What does it look like? I was enjoying a missile launch when some rude Maverick Hunter came and interrupted my fun!"

"There's nothing fun about what you're doing! You were going to harm hundreds of Reploids and humans!" X exclaimed in disbelief. With a scoff, Overdrive Ostrich said "So what? Not like you Maverick Hunters are any better." "Excuse me?" X inquired in a rather disbelieving manner before Overdrive Ostrich folded his arms together and said "Remember Storm Eagle? How you killed him mercilessly just because he joined Sigma?"

"Are you actually using that to justify your actions? Storm Eagle died with honor, he had no choice but to become a Maverick." X says while gritting his teeth slightly, but Overdrive Ostrich just pulled his arms away and said with a scowl "You want to talk about not having a choice? I was a hero as well in the Maverick Hunters, I sacrificed my own wings to stop a Maverick aerial raid, but was I decorated as a hero when I returned? No! The Maverick Hunters got rid of me like I was a pile of scrap simply because I lost my wings! So naturally, when Sigma saw strength in my ability to run and didn't care that I couldn't fly, it only made sense to accept his offer because I had nowhere else to go!"

"You're still wanting to kill innocents!" X exclaimed, and Overdrive Ostrich responded by telling him "Wrong! All I want is to avenge my hero by destroying the Maverick Hunter who beat him! And then I will destroy the Maverick Hunter HQ as payback for them abandoning me! We wouldn't be having this conversation if you Maverick Hunters did more to help your fellow Reploids!" "…I'm sorry you were forced to retire, Overdrive Ostrich…But this isn't the answer! Going Maverick just puts innocent Reploids and humans in the line of fire and stretches our forces to the point that it's difficult to help!" X replies.

"Shut up! It's too late to show sympathy to me now! Get ready, this is for Storm Eagle!" Overdrive Ostrich proclaimed before leaning forward and thrusting a fist out as though ready to charge, but it turned out to simply be a quick pose before he stood upright and truly began the battle. Overdrive Ostrich starts off by leaping back as X goes for some quick shots to his body, and while spreading his limbs out Overdrive Ostrich fired off four curved blades from his body that all went flying towards X. X steps back a couple feet while firing up at the blades, but his shots prove ineffectual at dealing with the attacks at a basic level. Falling back a little further, X has to feel as one of the blades sliced an inch into the side of his right boots, digging a bit into the circuitry in the process.

He then tried to peg Overdrive Ostrich down with his arm cannon while he Maverick was landing on the ground, but his shots miss as the Maverick ducks down and then goes into a very swift charge towards X. Overdrive Ostrich was faster than X could react to, so even though he tried leaping to the right he only got to swerving his body in that direction before Overdrive Ostrich rammed head-first into him and carried him a few feet forward suspended in midair before trying to use his elbow blades to cut into X's chest.

X grabbed onto Overdrive Ostrich's forehead with his left hand and pushed down on it while grunting, but the Maverick wouldn't budge an inch. With this in mind, X forced Overdrive Ostrich to let go of him by holding his arm cannon against the Maverick's head and charging up energy in the barrel. This made Overdrive Ostrich push X right off with a thrust of his head forward before he could attack with his elbow blade. As X was launched back, he fired off a charged shot that hit the Maverick right in the chest, destroying the two green lights attached to it and slightly denting his golden collar.

" _He's pretty durable…This must be the X-Hunters' doing."_ X thought to himself as he slide a couple inches on the sandy ground upon landing and held his arm cannon to the side ready to charge up another attack. But before X could fire the attack Overdrive Ostrich smirked and suddenly sprinted off to the right, going deeper into the desert and putting himself far out of the range of X's blaster. X tried to pay close attention to Overdrive Ostrich as the Maverick ran a large circle around him in the desert for ten seconds, but all of a sudden he vanished from sight.

Remembering how Overdrive Ostrich entered the battlefield, X was wise to look up and see the Maverick descending right at him with his right foot down for a mighty kick. At the speed Overdrive Ostrich was going, he'd be able to crack X's helmet at the very least, so X rolled backwards and put himself in a half-kneeling position five feet from where the Maverick was going to land with his arm cannon raised to fire another shot.

But Overdrive Ostrich hit the ground so fast and hard that he kicked up a huge plume of sand that prevented X from seeing him. X had to thus go for a blind shot through the sand while closing his eyes. The charged shot burned bright within the sand and blew some of it away, but Overdrive Ostrich just swerved his neck to the left to dodge it and then swing his right arm out to send two blades at X. Upon opening his eyes X sees the two blades come his way and immediately pulls his body back to avoid them slicing through his face.

Overdrive Ostrich then tried running at X for another attack, but all this time X had kept his concentration up and was able to fire off a charged shot while lifting both of his arms up that hit the Maverick right in his right arm as it was held out ready to stab X with the elbow blade. The arms did not seem to have the same durability as the main body, seeing as how that charged shot destroyed the gauntlet surrounding Overdrive Ostrich's hand along with the blade on his elbow.

The Maverick was surprised by this, but nevertheless waited for X to lift his head up so he could continue to use his right hand and punch X square in the side of the head and send him flying to the right through the air a bit. X rolls across the sand a few feet after he lands, left laying stomach down once he was done while some sand also found itself stuck to his armor. X lifted himself up quickly as Overdrive Ostrich swerved and ran towards him.

Overdrive Ostrich threw out a few blades ahead of himself to keep X on his toes, but instead of X dodging back he runs forward and leaps through the center of all the blades, putting himself on the ground and lifting his arm cannon up so it's jammed right into Overdrive Ostrich's dented chest as the Maverick rammed into him. During the time he dodged all of the blades X had fully charged his arm cannon, the barrel glowing bright red as Overdrive Ostrich looks down with a surprised look in his eyes. The whir of built up energy is the last thing the Maverick hears before X slants his eyes and fires a charged shot point blank through Overdrive Ostrich's chest.

X quickly stands up and moves off to the side, letting Overdrive Ostrich's body fall forward until it landed against the sands, most of it filling up the hole in his chest as the Maverick's lifeless head is turned to the side with it's mouth agape in shock over it's demise. X looked down at Overdrive Ostrich's body and said "You could've been a hero like Storm Eagle…" He then kneeled down and laid his right hand atop the Maverick's head, the jewel on his helmet glowing as streams of data transfer from the Maverick to X through rings.

When the data transfer is complete, X stands up and finds his body suddenly changing to a dark purple color similar to Overdrive Ostrich's armor. X turns back to normal almost immediately, but not before catching Alia's eye as she asks _"What did you just do with Overdrive Ostrich's body?"_ X lays a hand on the side of his helmet and remarks as he turns around "It's just some power I have…It allows me to take the main ability of a Maverick I defeat."

" _That's odd, that wasn't recorded in your history, X. I'm looking forward to see what this power of yours is capable of. But for now you should come back and get a quick repair. You've accomplished your mission here, X, good job."_ Once Alia had finished speaking, X nodded his head and said "Yeah, you did a good job as well Alia. Alright, I'll send out the signal so you can teleport me back to base." He then tapped a few buttons on his arm cannon, and it wasn't long before he was carried away by a pulse of light back to the Maverick Hunter HQ…

 _Next Time: Wrath of the Weatherman_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Childish Weather Wielder, Wire Sponge**

With Overdrive Ostrich dealt with, X was able to return to the Maverick Hunter HQ safe and sound. After a brief trip to the repair pods so Alia could use the data from Dr. Light to fix the cuts in X's new armored boots, X made it back to the command center to meet up with Alia so he could plan out his next move. He looked at the map of the island on the central hologram, and saw that Overdrive Ostrich's mugshot had been blanked out with some static. Once more X's gaze was directed towards the Maverick who killed Persius, but as much as he wanted to go after him he knew he'd have to be patient.

Holding onto his arm cannon, X said "Persius…I'll avenge you soon enough." X then turned to where Alia was sitting and walked over to her, asking once he laid a hand on the back of her chair "Alia, what's the status on the rest of the Mavericks?" Alia responded while tapping away at her keyboard "Haven't gotten enough data on most of them yet through surveillance. But I do have a good idea on where you should go next. I was keeping an eye on the Weather Control Station while you were gone, and I'm worried about what might happen if we let it stay in the hands of the X-Hunters."

"The Weather Control Station? Doesn't that just regulate the weather on the island though?" X inquired with a puzzled glance, and Alia replied to him quickly with "In theory, it should only be able to do that…But I'm worried that the X-Hunters could get a hold of the technology inside and utilize it for other purposes, such as creating drones that could initiate storms over populated cities." "So you want me to go there next then. Alright, who is the Maverick guarding that location?" X inquired with a firm and understanding look in his eyes.

"The Maverick guarding the Weather Control Station is named Wire Sponge. I'll have more information to give to you once you get there." Alia said in a serious tone, and X commented as he began to turn away from the chair "Understood. Hmmm, Wire Sponge…I don't think I've heard that name before." But after X only got a few feet away from Alia, she suddenly said to him "Wait a second X, there's something else I want to discuss with you before you go."

X turns around and says with a surprised look on his face "What's up Alia?" Alia explained as she turned herself away from her computer screen "The data I got from that Light person's hologram…I might be able to examine it and determine where the remainder of the capsules are. When I'm done, I'll upload the information to your helmet so you can examine it for yourself." X blinked twice and said with a bright smile "That's incredible! I'm looking forward to seeing your results, Alia."

Alia then turned back to face her computer and went to work, leading to X running to the teleporter room so he could be taken to the Weather Control Station. Once inside the capsule, he is covered with a flash of light and sent back over to the island in a near instant, where he is dropped off at the entrance of the Weather Control Station. Dropped into a somewhat enclosed room with mind-green metal walls and a sliding door leading into the deepest parts of the station, X paused for a moment and decided to gather his surroundings, finding some pipes running pure rainwater through the left side of the room.

X then laid a hand on the side of his helmet and got in contact with Alia, who said to him quickly _"Ok, you made it safe and sound. So you want to know more about Wire Sponge, correct?"_ X nodded his head and said politely "Tell me everything you know. It helped a lot to have the information against Overdrive Ostrich." After a sigh heard over the communication line, Alia told X with the utmost honesty _"Unfortunately, Wire Sponge is a bit of an enigma. We have little to no information on him."_

"How is that possible? I thought the Commander kept information on all Reploids within the database." X inquired in a very puzzled tone, to which Alia tried to explain to him _"That is true…But Wire Sponge only appeared very recently. He's not been associated with the Maverick Hunters…Or any organization for that matter. The only thing we know about Wire Sponge is that he has some control over electricity, so it makes sense that he would be chosen to control this station. Be on your guard X, he's going to be a little tougher than Overdrive Ostrich."_

"I-I'll be on my guard _._ Anything else I should know about?" X inquired, and Alia told him _"As a matter of fact, there is. I'm detecting a strange signal coming from deep within the station. I'll let you know when you get closer to it, but I'm thinking it might be…"_ "An X-Hunter laboratory?" X stated with a firm glare in his eyes and a confident tone.

" _It's very possible…But why would they be sending out a signal?"_ Alia inquired, being surprisingly confused by the X-Hunters' actions. "It has to be a trap. I'll be careful when I get near the signal." X stated, and Alia mentioned afterwards _"Yeah. Do be careful. Alia out."_ After Alia dropped the communication line, X pumped his right fist up and then turned it into an arm cannon before advancing towards the sliding glass door.

The door opens the way upon feeling X's presence, and the moment he steps down onto the grass he is overcome with a feeling of humidity from the environment around him. Looking around, X saw a vibrant forest being maintained by a few regulated rays of sunlight projected from hovering lamps near the ceiling. X didn't get to enjoy the environment for long though as he looked ahead and saw a couple frog-like Reploids come out from behind some bushes. These frogs had smaller frogs on their backs, but both of them acted as cannons as they opened their mouths and brought out their gun barrel tongues.

They fired off some shots at X, but X leaped over them and aimed his arm cannon down to fire two small shots of his own at the smaller frogs to take them down instantly. Once he landed on the ground behind the bigger ones he swerved his upper body around and charged up his arm cannon, firing off a large shot that took out both Reploids and scorched a two-foot mark into the grass. Once he took out the first Reploids, X stood up and held his arm cannon in front of his chest while looking around at the environment again.

" _This must be what they call a greenhouse…The people who used to run this place must have used the weather machines to sustain the plant life on the island."_ X thought to himself before he turned around and continued on further into the greenhouse, moving only a few feet before the sun's rays suddenly become much brighter, the temperature increasing along with the humidity of the environment. While X could not be brought to sweat since he was a robot, the increase in moisture would do nothing to help him if he let it last.

Coming up ahead was a gargantuan tree with a hollowed out passage and a strange orb atop a metallic altar. The orb was circulating with electricity at an irregular pace, but this area was not affected by the humidity. X leaped into the passage and leaned back against the side of the smoothed out wood, but kept enough awareness on him so that he was able to aim his arm cannon to the left of himself and take down another one of those frog Reploids once it leaped into the passage.

Once he had a few seconds to collect himself, X looked at the mysterious orb and decided to ask Alia while laying a hand against his helmet "Alia, I'm curious…Do these orbs help regulate the weather in this greenhouse?" _"That's right. Wire Sponge must be overloading the system and making the weather go haywire. Destroy the orbs, it's better that we end up having to perform repairs than letting him overwhelm the greenhouse with different weather conditions. One charged shot should do."_ Alia explained, while midway through the conversation X had raised his arm cannon and was charging it.

"Already on it." X commented on before unleashing his charged shot and destroying the orb with one clean blast. There was nothing left of the orb but the wiring below it, all of it surging out with electricity that could harm X if any of it lashed his way. X thus leaped out of the other side of the passage and landed at the next part of the greenhouse, this time finding himself facing a rainstorm now that the high humidity had been rendered obsolete with the destruction of the orb summoning it forth. As the rain pattered against his metal frame, X turned around and took a few steps forward along the soggy grass, but stopped upon feeling an odd metallic hump in the middle of the ground.

X leaped back immediately on instinct, his caution working to his advantage as the hump turned out to be a camouflaged turret that slowly rises up from the ground attached to a metal pole and fires at X with a rapid barrage of lasers. X sideflips over the turret while aiming his arm cannon down and firing some shots at the top of it, breaking through the metal canopy of the turret and scoring a direct hit on the core. Once X landed on the ground the turret blew up, and X raised his arm cannon up to protect himself from the flying debris.

He kept a firm knee on the ground and listened past the falling rain as three more turrets rose up around him. With a quick 'tsk' of annoyance X turned himself around as he stood up and leaped back as the turrets fired upon his location, tracking him as he uses one hand to vault himself back and put himself close to the tree again. X took a few lasers to his legs and body as the turrets lifted themselves up to try and go for his head, but thankfully none of them broke through his armor.

X looked up at the lip of the tree's passage and leaped towards it, using his magnetic force to attract to the surface of the wall and then leap right off it, flying over all of the turrets laser fire while he aimed his arm cannon down at them. He was then covered in a flash of light as his body changed to a dark purple color, and instead of his regular shots X instead fired off three crescent blades from his arm cannon to slice right through the turrets as he went over them.

The split turrets slide apart before both halves explode in three simultaneous blasts, and X lands on the ground back in his normal armor coloring just close to the edge of a pit leading to sharp metallic thorns. Even with the slipperiness of the ground, X kept himself stable and immediately leaped over the pit to make it close to another tree passage with another orb. X didn't hesitate to destroy the frog Reploid guarding it and the orb itself with one quick charged shot, but he had to leap and use his air dash to get through the passage before the electricity from the orb could hit him.

On the other side of the tree passage, X now finds himself in a more jungle-like environment, with the rain having ceased and yet another pit filled with spikes getting in his way. X looked up and saw a series of cylinders sticking out of the wall that he could theoretically leap up to in order to get past the pit, but at the same time there were also some small levitating platforms that rose up and down that X could easily leap onto in order to make it to the small tree stump on the other side. _"It'd be easy to ambush me from above…I'll take the bottom route."_ X rationalized as he grabbed onto his arm cannon and made the leap outward.

X landed atop the first rocket and immediately activated the magnet function on his boots so he doesn't fall off. He ducks down to make sure he doesn't hit the cylinders, and then leaps forward once he could reach another platform. After one more platform X leaps over to the tree stump and grabs onto the edge of it, keeping a firm grip on it for three seconds before he pulls himself up and finds another three rocket platforms over another bed of spikes.

X showed no fear and traversed the platforms to reach the other side, where upon landing safely he finds a very large tree with a passage burrowed inside of it and some lifts rising up to another part of the station. He vaults up into the tree passage, but before he gets to riding one of the lifts Alia suddenly chimes in and states _"Wait a minute X! I'm sensing the source of that signal at the bottom of these lifts. Wait for one to pass by and then go down, but be careful."_

X holds his arm cannon and waits for a lift to rise up, and the very moment a gap big enough for him to slide under appears he makes his move while stating "I'll watch out for the X-Hunters. Hopefully one of Zero's parts is here." X's quiet optimism did not escape Alia's ears, and she warned him as he landed onto a passage hidden away below the lifts _"That could be what the signal is coming from. Seriously X, they'll use anything to try and trick you. There'd be no reason for them to bring the real parts here."_

As the lighting in the passage becomes darker and darker, X finds himself approaching a couple of large, steel locked doors with the symbol of Sigma hovering above the door thanks to a holographic projector. X shoots the projector out of disdain towards Sigma, and then lays his hand on the door cautiously to see how it will react. To his surprise, the door opens up after a heavily pressurized click and whir, and X slowly walked inside of the room to see what was inside.

It wasn't a very big room, and there were a few computers running simultaneous data scans on what appeared to be a pair of robotic legs. This very same data was being fed through wires that went into the ceiling, and after a couple moments X began to hear a rather odd, relaxing piano piece being played within the room. He looked on ahead and raised his arm cannon up the very moment he saw the backside of a familiar face within the room.

It was Agile, the self-proclaimed leader of the X-Hunter organization. Agile was currently looking at the orb that contained the perfectly reconstruction legs and feet of Zero while sipping some wine from a glass and folding an arm behind his back. Upon hearing X moving a couple inches forward, Agile smirked and said "So you found me first, Maverick Hunter X." Agile then turned around and laid his wine glass down on the nearby research table, flicking a rose in a vase around with a single finger before he folded the arm behind his back and smiled.

"What are you doing down here, Agile?!" X exclaimed in a demanding manner, and Agile raised a hand up and said "Why don't you relax a bit, X? Am I threatening your life at this very moment?" X said to him in response while keeping his arm cannon raised "Don't try and trick me with your attempts at casual conversation, Maverick. I'm not going to be fooled."

"…A pity, that is." Agile says before snapping his fingers to shut off the piano music. He then told X while swerving his body sideways "Tell me X, how much does Zero mean to you?" X cautiously lowered his arm cannon a bit after thinking that over a bit, but his response to Agile's question was angered due to the gall the Maverick had "Zero is a friend and one of the greatest Maverick Hunters ever! I'm not going to let you use his parts for your own ends, X-Hunters!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then tell me, do you exactly know how to repair Zero yourself? Do any of your fellow Maverick Hunters?" Agile inquired while turning his head to see X's expression immediately turn into a scowl as no words left his mouth. Agile then laughed and said "Of course not. The only one who could've had any hope of doing so was Dr. Cain, and he perished at the hands of Lord Sigma when he led his first glorious uprising against the ignorant masses."

"I don't know why you would ever consider following the insanity of that traitor!" X exclaimed in sheer disbelief, and Agile replied while wiggling his pointer finger in front of himself "Watch your mouth there X. One Reploid's traitor is another Reploid's savior. In fact, a lot of the X-Hunters' organization consists of Reploids who were betrayed by the Maverick Hunters." "You don't have the right to call yourself Reploids anymore, Maverick!" X exclaimed with the same ferocity on his voice.

"…Such an ugly term, Maverick is…Tell me X, have you perhaps considered that we are the just Reploids and your group are the true Mavericks?" "Grrrrr…" Was X's response to Agile's nonchalant words. Agile then sighed and shook his head, stating with the utmost disappointment "A pity really. You are too enraged to see my way clearly…And Zero's parts are to blame. So before we begin, let me pose one more question to you. What makes you think you'll get all of Zero's parts?"

"What do you mean?" X asked firmly. "You have no way of knowing for certain which of these parts are real. And even if mine are, I can just easily tell my two comrades to switch them out for fakes, leaving you without anything but a pair of legs." Agile explained, but X didn't care for any of that and said "Even if I just grab one of Zero's parts…That's more than enough to stop you from misusing him." It was a simple if not naïve answer, but it was enough to slightly irritate Agile as he quickly moved his right hand down to his hilt and grabbed onto the handle of his weapon.

From the hilt he swiftly pulled out a thin but long red laser sword. Grasping the handle in both hands and pointing it towards X, Agile stated as the chamber behind him sealed up to protect Zero's leg parts "Then let us see how good you truly are, Maverick Hunter X!" Making true to his namesake, Agile sprinted forward towards X while rapidly slashing his laser sword out, his attacks coming out so quickly that X knew he wouldn't be able to dodge them in his current position. X thus leaped to the left and let Agile cut his blade slightly into the now sealed doors, leaving behind small burning gashes even in that thickness of steel before he readjusts himself immediately back into his starting pose and turned to look at X, who hadn't even landed on the ground.

Before X was on the ground, Agile leaped into the air while slicing his blade across the air in front of him, sending out a very tall wave of energy at his foe to throw him off. X had only enough time to swerve to the left before the energy wave could cut through him, though it does manage to slice an adamantium table in two with ease and break through the wall behind it, leading Agile to lament as X thrusts his arm cannon out and begins charging "That was a perfectly good table too…"

Once X fires off his charged shot, Agile casually and quickly swung his sword down to cut right through the charged shot easily. X was a bit shocked by this, but didn't lose enough of a focus as he realized now that he'd have to outsmart Agile instead of trying to hit him head on. "If only you were actually Zero…Then you'd be able to use his blaster wisely." Agile says while raising his arm up and swinging his sword around five times in a second. X then rapidly fired shots at Agile, who swung his sword around to deflect them all before they made it even a foot close to his body.

X then watched as Agile held his sword at a downward slant for just a moment, and X quickly switched over to Overdrive Ostrich's power and fired three Sonic Slicers right at Agile's right arm. Agile lifted his blade up to try and cut down most of the Sonic Slicers, but one slipped past his attack and cut right through his right shoulder armor. The piece of metal fell to the ground much to Agile's surprise, and he grinned before running right in front of X and bringing his sword down in one fast slice.

Since Agile went down for one downward slash, X had enough time to leap to the right, and he attached himself to the wall and aimed his arm cannon at Agile's body while firming his glare. He fired off three more Sonic Slicers in rapid succession, but this time Agile was more aware of the tactic and rapidly sliced the air in front of him four times to make sure he covered enough space to get the crescent beams dealt with. He then leaped up and sent off a crescent wave of his own again at X, forcing X to detach from the wall and duck down so the attack could just nick the left side of his helmet.

Though part of his helmet was cut off and electricity ran out of his broken wires, X knew such minimal damage could be ignored for now, especially since he can just get repaired at the base. Right now X reverted back to his normal color scheme and aimed his arm cannon at Agile while standing back up, thinking to himself about how quickly his shoulder armor went off. This made X realize that Agile's defenses were pretty thin, which is why he was able to move so quickly.

X fired a few shots aimed at Agile's left arm to distract him, making him swing his sword out in that direction to deflect them. X then runs at Agile's right side and tries to leap sideways while charging his arm cannon and aiming it at Agile's arm. But Agile was too quick, and before the charged shot could hit he turned around and sliced right through it. "You aren't going to hit me like that, X. I am the ultimate strategic mind…I know your every move." Agile says while grabbing his sword in both hands and then performing his charging forward move again, slashing the air while X rolled to the left to get out of the way.

However, X found his armor being cut into a few times across his body. They were small cuts, but they were going to add up if he let them keep appearing. X lays a hand against his chest and stands upright, holding his right arm cannon up and looking rather upset at this situation. Agile says with a disappointed look in his eyes "This really doesn't seem like the type of power that could've taken out Lord Sigma…Hmm, I guess Zero doesn't mean much to you if you aren't willing to go all-out. Oh well, that's just how it goes sometimes, dear X…"

Agile raises his sword up as X finds himself getting increasingly angered by what the Maverick was saying. "There comes a time when all Reploids become obsolete!" Agile exclaimed, and that there was the snapping point for X. Combining his anger with the desire to bring Zero back from the grasp of the X-Hunters, X's helmet crystal suddenly starts glowing bright orange as he suddenly becomes filled with a mysterious energy.

When Agile's sword slash comes down, X manages to suddenly outspeed it by dashing to the left of the blade, something that catches Agile off-guard as he exclaimed "W-What?!" X then leaped right at Agile's right arm and exclaimed with all of his ferocity "YOU'RE WRONG! RAAAAAAAAAAAH!" His left hand then burned bright orange like his crystal, and he grabbed onto Agile's shoulder with so much strength that he manages to crush it right off from the rest of the body with ease.

Agile recoils back while letting out a surprised grunt, his arms falling to the ground and letting go of the sword at the same time, and Agile is backed up into the wall holding Zero's part while X landed on the ground with the crystal on his head still glowing. Agile raised an arm to his malfunctioning wiring and lost his composure a bit with some disturbance in his eyes. But then his expression turned into a grin of laughter, and he admitted to X "Hahaha…So this is it. This is the 'potential' of the Maverick Hunter X."

"It's over Agile! Give up Zero's parts or I will obliterate you!" X exclaimed with all of the demand he could muster, and Agile just laughed a bit more before stating with a hint of delight "You're more than welcome to have them, X! Now I have an idea of what we're up against here, and I'll prepare accordingly for our next battle. Hehehehe!" "AGILE!" X exclaimed before he leaped at the Maverick again ready to attack him, but with a sudden flash of light Agile is sent out of the room and X's hand punctures right through the back of the wall behind where he stood.

X stays there for a few seconds with an angered scowl on his face before he hears the sound of the wall opening, which causes the glow to leave his helmet and hand as he calms down a bit and looks up to see Zero's leg parts coming out of the wall while the barrier of energy still surrounded it. X caught the sphere in both hands and blinked a couple times while looking at them, stating in a quiet tone of surprise "What just happened there…? I fought Agile off…But what was that power? And why do I feel like I've used it before?"

X is then taken off of his line of thinking when Alia suddenly contacts him via a shaky connection _"X-…X…X! Can you hear me X?! I finally broke through the interference the X-Hunters had setup, are you ok?! Answer me, X!"_ X clasped Zero's leg parts close to his body and said while laying a hand against the right side of his helmet "I'm alive Alia…I encountered Agile, the leader of the X-Hunters, but managed to fight him off and get Zero's legs back. I'm going to need you to teleport them back to HQ."

" _Now that the interference is gone, I can do that easily. But what about you X? Do you want to come back to base real quick and heal before continuing after Wire Sponge?"_ Alia inquired, expressing a tiny bit of concern for X's damaged body. X looked at himself real quick and then replied with his head hung high and confidently "It's ok. I can still pull through here. We don't have time to waste, not while the X-Hunters have something planned. Just send me back to the main part of the greenhouse and I'll continue on my way."

"… _Alright X. Don't overdo it. Who knows what could push your circuitry too far…"_ Alia said with a cautious warning, and then she used her technological know-how in order to get a teleported signal locked onto both Zero's leg parts and X himself. Zero's leg parts are brought back to the Maverick Hunter HQ while X is sent out of Agile's laboratory and brought up to the part of the greenhouse directly above this room. Now that he was back onto his main mission and had some reassurance that Zero's legacy would be protected from the X-Hunters' plans, X held a hand onto his arm cannon and said calmly "Ok…Resuming mission."

X felt a lot more relaxed regarding the mission now that he had claimed some of Zero's parts, and with an intense focus and the same skills he utilized before he traversed the rest of the greenhouse and destroyed any Reploids that got in his way. He didn't take a single hit along the way, and he blasted through the glass doors leading to the last part of the station with a charged shot. Leaping into the green metal corridors, X performed one roll and then leaped up to climb a couple of ladders and eventually make it to the steel doors that could only be assumed to lead the way to where Wire Sponge was at.

X lets the doors slide open so he can make his way into the last room in the station. Inside this small room were a few large control cylinders wrapped in thick metallic vines, and there was a bunch of moss and vines growing out of control on the floor, walls and ceiling. X then turns to the left and sees a shadowy figure swinging around across the cylinders while they giggled childishly. The figure then leaped away from the cylinders and slowly descended from the ceiling with one of his jagged tipped whips.

The Maverick in question was a metallic bipedal sponge with two springy arms coming out of purple rubber shoulders, two long wires sticking out of his armpits that have two pike-like prongs attached to them. His legs were black, light-green and orange in that order of colors, and his eyes were cross with tiny red pupils and placed against some black metal. His head was topped with an odd metallic plant, and his mouth was a grated blue piece of metal.

The Maverick grabbed onto his wires near the bottom of the prongs and giggled a little more, leading to X saying to him "What's so funny, Wire Sponge?" "Hehehe! You finally showed up X! I've been so excited to kill you all this time!" Wire Sponge exclaimed with childish delight in his filtered voice. "I've never even met you before. Why would you want to kill me?" X asked in a rather cautious manner.

"You don't know meeeeee, but you know my creeaaaaator!" Wire Sponge said in a gleeful and taunting manner, and X's eyes widened in surprise before he said "Y-Your creator? Who created you?" "It's Sigma, of course! Lord Sigma created me!" Wire Sponge admitted all too happily. X's expression immediately becomes one of complete and utter disbelief at what he just heard.

"S-Sigma? That's impossible. Sigma created his own Maverick?!" X stated, and Wire Sponge stated "Hehehe! Nothing is impossible for Lord Sigma! He was the Reploid that was going to lead us all into a new age, but then you had to go and kill him X! So now, I'm going to kiiiiiiiill you!" X firmly grasped his arm cannon and said "Not going to happen, Maverick! I won't let you mess around with the weather here anymore!"

Wire Sponge's head then compressed down against the rest of his body, making his eyes turn into very thin dark red slants as steam erupts from the top of his head and he proclaimed "Tiiiime to diiiie!" with all the child-like enthusiasm you'd expect from him. Once Wire Sponge was back to being upright he thrusts his right whip out and has it extend all across the room towards X. Though X swerved out of the way, Wire Sponge punctured into the wall and pulled himself across the room towards his foe.

When he was close to X, Wire Sponge tried to spin around and attack X with his other whip, but he didn't even nick the armor before he slammed into the wall. But due to his sponge-like build, he bounces right off and immediately untwirls his wire off from his body to shoot it out at X again. But without a wall to attach it to he just immediately starts to pull back on it. However, X grabs onto the wire with his right hand and lets himself get pulled in closer to Wire Sponge and throw a punch right into his face.

X's punch digs into Wire Sponge's face but doesn't appear to do any damage, proving that the 'Sponge' part of his name wasn't just for show. X immediately pulled his hand out of his foe's face and leaped back before Wire Sponge could use his very mobile wires to slice away at his armor. As Wire Sponge happily flails his arms around his body, X begins to think up a plan on how to defeat his foe since physical force doesn't appear to be working. Considering the nature of Wire Sponge's body, X deduced that perhaps a sharp attack would be more advantageous.

As such he switched to his dark purple color scheme, making Wire Sponge remark in a curious tone "Oooh! You changed colors!" But this is met with X firing out a Sonic Slicer from his arm cannon that goes through the air and cuts halfway through Wire Sponge's right arm. The upper part of the arm falls to the ground and flails a bit while Wire Sponge looks at it with widened eyes and said "Oh! That was my arm!" But X didn't bother to listen to the Maverick's cry of pain as he took the Sonic Slicer and used it to cut down his other wire arm. Wire Sponge was now seemingly unable to attack, and X aimed his arm cannon at him ready to deal one more attack to take him down.

Compared to Agile, Wire Sponge was very easy, and X didn't have any qualms of dealing with the Maverick considering he started off this way instead of being a Reploid that went Maverick. "Sigma made a mistake when he created you, Wire Sponge!" X exclaimed before he fired off a Sonic Slicer right at the center of Wire Sponge's body. However, Wire Sponge suddenly crunched down and filled up with an angry bright red color, the ceiling dropping down electricity into the plant on his head as he exclaimed while stamping his feet in a tantrum "YOU'RE A JERK, MAVERICK HUNTER X!"

X's Sonic Slicer hits Wire Sponge's body and bounces off of it due to his hardened body, and X immediately leaps to the right and gets onto the wall right as Wire Sponge unleashes a large blast of electricity in multiple directions, violently burning away at the vines and moss around him and even some of the walls had their metal melted through by the electric blasts. X had to swerve his body around while sticking to the wall in order to avoid getting hit with the electricity for a few seconds.

Wire Sponge could only rely on this attack for so long until he exhausted himself, his body color returning to normal as the room is filled with steam and such from his overuse of electricity. Wire Sponge still looked compressed and panted a bit through his grated mouth, but X ended the Maverick's misery by landing on the ground and firing off one more Sonic Slicer that cut right through the middle of Wire Sponge's body diagonally, the Maverick letting off just a simple cry of "L-Lord…S-S-S-Sigma!" in a malfunction voice before his upper half slides down to the right and his bottom half falls back a few seconds later.

X reverts his armor color back to normal and cautiously moves around the burning metal holes created by Wire Sponge's desperate attack, approaching his body and using his copy power to acquire his ability, which briefly changed his armor color to a bright ivory until it reverted back and he stood up, and he laid a hand onto the right side of his helmet and said "Weather Control Station secured, Alia. But…" He turned around and looked at the fact that the control cylinders were heavily scarred by the lashes of electricity and said "It'll take some repairs to get everything back up and running."

" _I'll send a team down later to start on that. Great job here though, X. Still…I'm a bit concerned with what Wire Sponge said."_ Alia commented on, and X nodded his head and said in agreement "Yes, Wire Sponge couldn't have been the only Maverick Sigma had built. I just wonder when he could've had the time to do this…" _"Who knows. Records on Sigma's activities between his creation and the rebellion has mostly been deleted, so all we can hope to do is find out more information from any more of those types of Mavericks."_ Alia stated.

"Right…There's probably more of them amongst the X-Hunters, I'm sure of it. Anyways, I'm ready to go back to base Alia." X said, and Alia told him as she could be heard setting up the coordinates for the teleportation beam _"Already on it. Two down, six to go X…"_ And with that reply X was caught by the beam of light that would bring him right back to Maverick Hunter HQ, and he left the split remains of Wired Sponge behind to their forgotten fate…

 _Next Time: Vengeance Justified?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Avenger in Blue, Vs. Wheel Gator**

With the defeat of Wire Sponge, X made it back to the Maverick Hunter HQ and took a quick stop by the repair station to get his armor fixed up after his battle with Agile specifically. Once he finished up there, he went back to the central command center and met up with Alia, who was currently looking at Zero's legs parts as they hovered above her keyboard. "Fascinating…A lot of this technology is from an earlier time period, but the structure looks as advanced as a Reploid's. Whoever created Zero must have been a genius beyond his time."

"Alia? What are you doing with Zero's leg parts?" X asked in a puzzled tone as he approached her chair, and though Alia flinched a moment at X overhearing her scientific babble she kept her composure and acted natural enough that she was able to use her keyboard to move the sphere containing the parts aside to the right and summoning forth a monitor containing information on the legs. She then said to X calmly "I was running a comparative scan between Zero's repairs in the past to the legs present to us now to make sure these are real."

"And?" X inquired as he looked at both the past scan and the present legs with a firm glare, and Alia replied to him with "There's no way anyone could replicate Zero's design to make fake parts. Zero's armor was created with a very, very rare material known as bassnium." "Bassnium? Wait…So what you're saying is that we have Zero's real parts?" X, after some initial confusion, found himself speaking in relief at what he was hearing.

Alia nodded her head once and remarked "Yep. I'm wondering what the X-Hunters' plan is though…Why would they allow us to get Zero's parts back without putting in some sort of trap to harm us?" "Agile sounded pretty confident that I wouldn't acquire all the parts. I don't think they were expecting me to defeat any of them." X offered as a reason, and Alia nodded her head in agreement and said "It only makes sense for followers of Sigma's way to be so conceited. Anyways, while we have one of Zero's parts, it means nothing when we don't have either blueprints or someone capable of making repairs."

"We don't have blueprints? Oh yeah, I think Dr. Cain would've had those on him before he died…" X remarked in a slightly melancholic tone, and Alia responded to that by mentioning "I think he likely saved them to that capsule he uploaded his consciousness to. But I don't know how to get in contact with him right now, unfortunately." "He said he was finding someone who could help repair Zero, so we won't get any answers until he returns." X lamented before he pulled himself away from Alia's chair and stood upright.

"Right…All we can do for now is focusing on finding more Mavericks and more of Zero's parts. With Overdrive Ostrich and Wire Sponge down, there's only one other priority target I want you to tackle for now, X." Alia said, and she switched the focus on the monitor from Zero's parts to the map of the island the X-Hunters were occupying. Alia then pressed a few buttons to get the monitor to focus on one part of the island, where a gigantic, scaly green tank was seen making it's way through an inhabited city, the treads grinding down buildings that the artillery fire was blowing up.

X watched in horror as hundreds of innocent humans and Reploids were being threatened by this tank, and upon looking at the face of the tank he realized just who was manning it. He clenched his right fist tightly against the head of Alia's chair to the point of crunching it down as his expression turned to one of absolute anger, and he remembered the face of the Maverick who had killed Persius in perfect detail, including the arrogant, callous smirk on his face.

"Send the coordinates to the teleporter Alia! I'm going in now!" X exclaimed without hesitation, and Alia sensed his anger and turned her head around a bit as X began to run off, telling him with plenty of concern in her voice "X! Wait!" It was too late though, as X had gone out the door already. Alia lifted her eyelids up in shock of just how angry X had gotten just now, but then sighed and turned herself around so she could get the coordinates in for X, commenting to herself as she does so "…I shouldn't get attached to a comrade again. Don't make that mistake twice, Alia."

Alia then glanced aside at Zero's parts, and as she thought back to what X had said about Dr. Cain looking for someone who could work on rebuilding Zero Alia began to consider the possibility of doing it herself. If she had the blueprints, she knew she would've been able to rebuild Zero from the ground up without any problems. However, with a short shake of her head Alia went back to focus on the monitor and repeated herself by saying in a melancholic tone "Don't make that mistake twice…"

Meanwhile, X had gotten to the teleporter and was sent off to the tank in an instant. X was dropped down onto the back of the tank, which was shaped like a long reptilian tail, and was immediately met with some shakiness due to the tank's constant movements. X bent down and felt out the rhythm of the tank's movements before he stood upright, and he had to make sure not to be thrown off as the tail of the tank swung to and fro. Looking around, X saw how hundreds of towering buildings had been reduced to ruinous states, and that the Reploids and humans below were screaming as they ran.

X couldn't jump down to help the innocents without compromising the mission, something he laments with gritted teeth until Alia contacts him and explains _"We're sending in a rescue squad to save as many innocents as we can X. But their job will be difficult unless you get rid of the artillery cannons on the tank and stop Wheel Gator's control over the tank."_ Laying a hand against his repaired helmet, X inquired with some disdain in his voice "Wheel Gator? So that's the name of the Maverick that slaughtered Persius…?"

" _Wheel Gator is a very ferocious Maverick. He served the Maverick Hunters under the 6_ _th_ _Naval Unit for a long time until he suddenly attacked a fellow hunter during a mission and was branded a traitor. After that, his Reploid causalities skyrocketed as he joined Sigma's army…He's probably one of the most cold blooded Mavericks out there X, so be careful."_ After Alia explains Wheel Gator's deal, X clenched his right fist and said "I'm not going to show him any mercy Alia. Anyone who betrays their fellow hunter are the absolute worst."

" _I understand your feelings on this X, but if you go in too hot-headed you're going to make a mistake. Just calm down and-"_ Alia is stopped midway through by X exclaiming "Calm down?! Wheel Gator is a murderer! I cannot allow his injustices to go unpunished!" _"X, I know you're doing this to avenge Persius…But no matter how you destroy Wheel Gator, it won't bring him back to life. Honor his memory by saving the innocents here, X…"_ Alia spoke softly to X out of concern for his revenge-driven nature at the moment.

X scowled a bit, but then calmed down enough to relax his body and stood perfectly upright before saying to Alia "…You're right. I have to save the Reploids and humans suffering from Wheel Gator's rampage. I-I'm sorry Alia…I was being selfish." Alia sighed and said _"No X, I don't think you were being selfish. Persius' death got to you and you wanted to avenge him for his sake…You just needed a reminder of everything else that is at stake here."_

X nodded his head in agreement and said "Yeah. Lets not speak anymore for now Alia. I need to get a move on…But thank you for reminding me of my duties as a Maverick Hunter." _"…You're welcome, X."_ Alia remarked quietly before shutting off communications. X grabs onto his arm cannon and dashes forward, leaping over the ridges of the tail and making his way to the entrance of the tank's innards. After blowing open the door X leaps through the flames created by his attack and lands on the blue metal steps.

The innards were dimly lit by blue lights on the ceiling, and the passage itself was very confined like a beast's innards would be like. At the top of the steps was a small mobile triceratops tank with glowing eyes that act as spotlights. The spotlights focus in on X and cause the mini tank to fire it's drill-like nose down at him, but X leaps right over it and places himself on the step directly below it, where he fires a few shots into the open hole where the drill was to hit the weak point within the tank.

X ducks down as the tank explodes, sending debris everywhere but none of them hitting X in the process. X then stands up and vaults over the last step with one hand to get himself onto the floor at the top. He pays attention for more spotlights coming from other tanks, holding his arm cannon up beside his helmet as he activates his night vision and prepares a charged shot. Two miniature tanks were in his way up ahead, but X was able to clear them out of the way with one charged shot.

Up ahead was a ladder leading further into the tank, and after the tank shook up a bit from hitting a building X leaped down the hole the ladder was attached to and landed right in the path of another mini-tank. The tank flashed it's spotlights red and charged right at X, but X noticed it quickly enough to leap over it with a somersault and let the tank ram into the wall behind him and blow up.

X then went down another ladder, took down another small tank, and began to go down a descending staircase a bit as he ran into some windows on the left. He stopped on one of the steps and looked outside, where he saw an artillery cannon firing out at the buildings. He held his arm cannon out and fired a charged shot aimed directly at the back of the artillery cannon, and his attack blew it up and destroyed the Maverick inside.

"That'll help the innocents escape…" X commented on in a relieved tone before he pulled himself back into the tank and continued going down the steps. But before he leaped off to the floating platform down below Alia suddenly called in and proclaimed _"Wait a second X!"_ X was halfway off the edge of the step before Alia stopped him, and he pulled back so he wouldn't fall off and laid a hand on his helmet before saying "What's the emergency?"

" _Remember how I said I'd keep an eye out for more of Dr. Light's capsules? Well I'm detecting one directly above your currently location. Look up."_ Alia's advice allows X to lift his head up and see a shaft high up into the ceiling that it appears X could wall jump to from the wall directly in front of him. "I'll try and check that area out. Hang on." X says before taking his hand off of his helmet and climbing back up the stairs, using the long floor at the top to give himself a running start so he could leap right over to the wall with the help of his Air Dash to get the full momentum.

He then attaches to the wall and drops down a bit so he won't hit his head on the ceiling before leaping right off and attempting to make the wall on the other side. However, X underestimates the height of his jump and even after swinging his right arm out he isn't able to grab onto the bottom lip of the wall. X falls on the ground with his right arm swung forward and says "I just can't make it Alia."

" _Hmm…Try using that weapon you acquired from Wire Sponge. If I'm right, it might be enough to close the gap."_ Alia advised, and X agreed with the idea by nodding his head once and then turning around for round two. He leaps over to the wall and climbs his way back up to the proper point before changing colors to the one for Wire Sponge's weapon, and after jumping off the wall he holds his arm cannon out and fires out an electrified chain that connects to the bottom lip of the wall and pulls X right in.

X is thus able to leap off of the wall from there and climb the small shaft to a secluded room where another Dr. Light capsule was on the right. X leaped over the shaft and landed right in front of the capsule, his presence causing it to pop open like the one before it as Dr. Light's hologram appears in the holographic cylinder. _"Hello again X. I see you found another one of my capsules. This capsule contains the Arm Parts. With it, your blaster will become much stronger than before, and you will be given a second X-Buster on top of that…However, before I can give you these parts, there's something I wish to discuss with you…"_ Dr. Light said in his gentle voice until near the end, where his voice became more troubled.

"What's up?" X inquired in a puzzled tone. _"When you went into my first capsule, I detected something off with your processors. A hint of unbridled rage, if you would…Are you alright, X? If something is troubling you, I'd be more than willing to talk."_ Light replied, and X widened his eyes a bit and said "So you are aware of what's going on…Are you alive somewhere, Dr. Light?"

"… _I cannot reveal that right now, X."_ Dr. Light remarked, sounding almost saddened that X asked that question. "…Dr. Light, I'm currently in the territory of a very vicious Maverick named Wheel Gator. Wheel Gator killed one of my allies, and…And a part of me just wants nothing more than to get revenge on Wheel Gator above all else. I-Is that right?" X inquired with some child-like hesitation in his voice.

After a deep, innermost sigh, Dr. Light's hologram closed his eyelids and said _"You want revenge on another because someone close to you perished. That's just your compassion at work there, X…You want revenge BECAUSE you cared for another's life. And there's nothing wrong with that…But there is such a thing as letting revenge consume you. I knew someone who wasted their life away on petty revenge, and he did nothing but ruin the lives of those around him."_

"…Who was it?" X inquired, and Dr. Light replied _"There's no reason to list a name, X. Don't worry, you'll never be anything like them. All I can advise you to do at this moment is stop this Maverick, and prevent him from harming anyone else again. You must succeed X, for the sake of all Reploids and humans."_ The Dr. Light hologram then fades away, leaving X to remark in an appreciative tone "Thank you, Dr. Light…That's what I will do."

X then leaped into the capsule to accept the next upgrade, and after the influx of data like last time X now had two arm cannons on his body just like Dr. Light said he would. Both cannons were colored white with a bright green barrel. X put away his left arm cannon and found that his hand was now red, and after leaping out of the capsule Dr. Light's hologram appeared one more time and said _"Thank you X…I know you will make me proud."_

X nodded his head as the capsule sealed up, and with his newest upgrade X leaped down the shaft and went back to dealing with the innards of the tank. As he went back down the staircase Alia called in and said _"So the hologram is sentient just like Dr. Cain's…But I still have no idea who this Dr. Light person even is. How could someone this smart not be in our history files?"_ X went down to the next area and landed on a platform controlled by three separate rockets that was currently pressing against a wall, but the moment he stepped on it the platform went down an inch and then changed it's course to move in the other direction.

As X was carried over the bed of spikes below he said to Alia "I don't know. I wish he could give me more answers, but I don't want to sound too demanding considering how helpful he's been so far." _"Taking advantage of his generosity like that would be wrong, I guess. He doesn't seem to be an enemy, so that's the most important part."_ Alia remarked afterwards as X got off the jet propelled platform and saw a couple generic Reploids soldiers carrying blast proof shields.

X immediately thought of testing out his new arm cannons on them and began charging energy in both of them. His body glowed brightly when the maximum charge was reached, and with a thrust of his right arm out X fired off a straight-forward blast of red energy that punctured right through the Reploid's shield and took it out. X then leaped off of the platform and fired his other charged shot at the second Reploid, this one coming out as a slightly smaller blue blast with streams of small energy orbs trailing around it.

Both Reploids were taking out easily, and X smiled momentarily at the power of his new arm cannons before he continued on his way with a serious expression. The power of his new arm cannons allowed him to easily dispatch the enemies that got in his way as he descended down a couple floors. But eventually X ran across a small garage close to the bottom of the tank, but instead of Ride Bikes he found the much more impressive Ride Armors being housed within this garage.

Each Ride Armor was bipedal and colored with a faded hue of blue, all of them having two arms with sharp spiked fists and jet boosters on the back. Without hesitation X decided to leap into the Ride Armor, placing his hands on the control levers and getting the machine upright on both legs with a whirr and click before he swerved it around and guided it straight towards the gasoline tank at the end of the garage. The durability of the Ride Armor meant that X felt safe going right over to the tank and punching it straight on with the right fist of the armor.

The gasoline reacts to the sparks from the Ride Armor's punch and explodes, creating a series of explosions through the tank to rip apart most of the inside and create a jagged hole into the floor that X could jumped down in order to reach the outside of the tank. The explosion took out a few artillery cannons much to X's relief and surprise, and as he lands on a small thin platform of blue metal suspended by green girders.

From this position, X could turn the Ride Armor around and get a good view of the legs of the tank. They were very large and bulky, but the joints were not protected well. X lifted himself up off of the Ride Armor slightly and thrust both of his arm cannons out, charging them up until he could fire both of them off at the right back leg's joint. Both attacks rip right through the joint like butter, breaking them down enough that the top of the leg crunches down on the bottom half and completely stops the tank from going any further.

Now that the buildings were safe from being run over, X got back in his Ride Armor and turned it around just to meet a punch from a green cyclops Reploid riding another Ride Armor. The punch dented X's Ride Armor a bit, but X counters by throwing two punches in rapid succession to break into his enemy's Ride Armor and destroy the core, leading to the Ride Armor and Reploid's destructions. X then sprinted with his Ride Armor across the platform and effortlessly punched through the enemy Ride Armor and mini-tanks while making his way to the other side, where a ladder prevented him from taking the Ride Armor further.

He leaped out and climbed the ladder, going into another part of the tank where another artillery cannon could be seen out the window. X repeats the process he used against the first one to destroy this cannon, watching as the outside is consumed with some explosions before he sprinted on ahead towards a deeper part of the tank. He ends up landing on one of those rocket lifts after a jump, but this one rises upward through a spike-lined shaft.

X had to be patient since he couldn't touch even one of the spikes, but he was pressured when a Reploid with a shield threw out a spiked top from the ledge above, forcing X to leap just enough back to keep on the platform but not run into the spike wall as he dodged the top. But once he was on level with the Reploid, X destroyed it in two charged shots and the made it to the top of the shaft, leaping off before his head hit the spiked ceiling.

It wasn't long until X reached another platform, and he used it to cross over to the over side while firing charged shots to destroy the small blue bird Reploids that came his way. He leaped off and made a bold air dash over a pit leading out of the tank, landing perfectly on the edge of the platform on the other side where he found another window with an artillery cannon outside. After destroying it, X leaped down onto another rocket propelled platform and made the climb further up into the tank.

He dodged the spiked tops thrown at him by leaping off the spike-free walls, holding both of his arm cannons out to the sides to destroy the Reploids throwing them at him while floating in mid-air temporarily, and he lands on the platform to continue going up a little bit more. He then leaps off to the left and wall jumps up a few floors until he reaches a machine that spawns swarms of those blue bird Reploids, with X destroying them in one fell shot along with the generator using a diagonal charged shot.

X then blasts his way outside of the tank by destroying a door and leaping forward, performing a roll on the scaly green metal, and he's met by a resistance of a swarm of at least two dozens bird Reploids. As the Reploids all dive-bomb X, he runs forward to get underneath a couple of them, turning around and firing some regular shots rapidly from both of his arms cannons to get rid of some of them, flipping backwards off the edge of the ledge and firing upward rapidly to get rid of the rest before landing on the ground below.

After that, it was just a matter of destroying a couple of artillery cannons near the 'snout' of the tank and then going backwards into a passage that would allegedly lead to Wheel Gator's location. X drops down through a long shaft until he has reached the deepest confines of the tank, and standing before the sliding iron doors is a bipedal cannon Reploid with thick green armor. X swerves left and right to dodge the cannon fire while moving close to the Reploid, and with a roar and a leap he uses his right arm cannon to blast a hole right through the center of the Reploid's body.

With a vault over the Reploid with his other hand, X goes through the iron doors as the Reploid falls over and explodes. Inside of this small corridor, X paused and laid his hand on the side of his helmet and said "Alia, I think I've disabled most of the cannons and stopped the tank from moving. I'm going in to confront Wheel Gator, so now would be the time to send in the rescue teams." _"Good work X! There's still a couple cannons near the top of the tank, but we can send in an attack copter to deal with them."_ Alia stated.

"Then I'm going in." X stated, with Alia remarking proudly _"Just try and remain calm X. You've been doing great so far without succumbing to anger."_ With X laying a hand on his right arm cannon he advances towards the next door while stating calmly "I'll be fine. I'm ready for Wheel Gator now." The door opens up, and X drops into the room ready to confront the Maverick.

Inside this room was a large pool of red liquid that went up to X's stomach as he landed down in it, and there were a few windows around the room to show the city outside. After observing the area for a bit, X saw some bubbles rising up to the surface a few feet ahead, and made a point of holding his arm cannon out as the being responsible for them erupted out of the liquid and landed on the ground with his body halfway into the water. It was Wheel Gator who had emerged, and X had already seen him once before and thus did not need to repeat the details of his appearance. The Maverick sneered with all of his fangs, and in his guttural voice he stated "So you finally showed up to ruin my fun, X!"

"Wheel Gator, your Maverick behavior ends here! You've harmed enough innocents with your actions!" X stated without acknowledging Wheel Gator's desires. "Hahahah! It ends here? You are an incredible killjoy X! What's wrong with me killing a few Reploids and humans?" "Your causality number is in the hundreds!" X exclaimed in disbelief of how Wheel Gator was shrugging things off.

Wheel Gator raised his head up a bit and continued to sneer as he told X "And how is that any worse than how you and the Maverick Hunters operate?" X lowered his arm cannon a bit and said "What do you mean by that?" Wheel Gator remarked in response to that "You kill plenty of Reploids with your actions. Have you ever considered for a second that some of the Reploids you killed were just still doing their jobs like guarding facilities from intruders? Or is anyone that opposes the Maverick Hunters just considered a Maverick without any second thought?"

"That's not true at all! All of you are Mavericks, no question about it!" X exclaimed with a frustrated look in his eyes, and Wheel Gator just laughed at that and said "Keep telling yourself that X! You and I both know what's going to happen once you 'stop' all of the Mavericks! It'll get to the point that you'll hunt your own allies, calling them Mavericks just so you can continue your line of work! I'm not a Maverick for killing my own fellow hunters, I'm just far ahead of the curve!"

"We'll never become monsters like you and the other X-Hunters!" X exclaimed, leading to Wheel Gator stating "You're better off just accepting your fate X! You enjoy battle and carnage, just like the rest of us!" Wheel Gator then punches his fists together and snaps his jaw out once before exclaiming "Time to join Persius and Zero in the scrap yard, X!"

This comment angered X a bit, but he remained calm enough to start charging his arm cannon. Wheel Gator then charged at X with his jaw open, moving ferociously through the liquid to brush it all aside as he prepared to bite down into X. X flip jumped over Wheel Gator's body as the Maverick chomped right into the wall, and X aimed his arm cannon down and fired right towards Wheel Gator's back.

Wheel Gator rips himself out of the wall and throws a chunk of metal from his mouth to intercept the charged shot, the thickness of the metal causing the shot to blow it up without reaching Wheel Gator, leading to X landing into the liquid without getting the hit. Wheel Gator then dives into the liquid and swims forward at high speed, rippling the surface as X pays attention to this motion. X aims his arm cannon down and shoots into the liquid while moving back, making sure to leap back before Wheel Gator could leap out of the liquid and chomp down into him.

X attaches to the wall behind him as Wheel Gator dives back down into the liquid, but this time the Maverick doesn't move an inch forward or back and instead seems to have gone deeper into the liquid. X keeps to the wall and prepares a charged shot in his right arm to fire down at Wheel Gator the moment he emerges from the liquid. But instead of the Maverick making a reappearance, X looks straight down and watches as a saw blade wheel rides up the wall at him, forcing him to leap off and fly across the room as the saw blade travels along the entirety of the wall. While he was leaping through the air, X is caught when Wheel Gator lunges right out of the liquid and wraps his jaws around X's midsection, pulling him from the air to drag him right down into the liquid.

X is slammed against the rusted metal floor within the liquid, his vision blurred as Wheel Gator tries to bite through his armor. The fangs were slowly puncturing into the metal, but X had a trick up his sleeve to get the Maverick off of him as he quickly thrust both of his arm cannons up into Wheel Gator's chest and fired charged shots from them both. At point blank, the charged shots didn't do as much damage as they could've, but X still managed to blow a couple holes into the Maverick's armor while simultaneously making him stop biting.

X quickly stood up and out of the liquid and coughed some of it up, lifting his head up as Wheel Gator stumbles back and holds an arm over his damaged armor, growling before he launched two saw blade wheels right off of his shoulders. Both wheels run across the top of the liquid towards X, but X leaps up to get over them while Wheel Gator leaps up to try and bite into him again. X responds by bringing his right fist down atop the Maverick's snout to make his teeth slam together and break some of them off while simultaneously pushing him right back into the liquid.

X lands back down and immediately moves to the right before Wheel Gator could grab him by the feet, aiming his arm cannon down and firing a few shots to hurt his foe while he was down. Wheel Gator retaliated by throwing out two more saw blade wheels from his body straight at X's head, but X ducked down just enough to avoid getting into the liquid while also dodging both blades as they slice right through the wall and fly outside.

Wheel Gator then lunges forward and tries to bite down X again even with his weakened jaw, only for X to leap up high and attach himself to the wall just below the windows, leading Wheel Gator to just chomp down on nothing but the wall in front of him. X had Wheel Gator figured out for the simple brute he was at this point, and all that was left was to finish him off. While Wheel Gator was pulling himself out of the wall, X changed his colors to that of Wire Sponge's weapon and aimed his arm cannon down at the liquid.

Charging up the power of Wire Sponge's weapon, X points it down at the center of the liquid as Wheel Gator pulls back and moves towards it. When the weapon was fully charged, X exclaimed "This is for all of the innocents you've harmed!" From his arm cannon emerged a larger chain than the one he fired earlier, this one completely electrified from end-to-end. Wheel Gator could only look up in surprise as the Strike Chain hit him square in the chest and pushed him right into the liquid.

Placed back first against the rusted metal underneath, Wheel Gator tries to pull the Strike Chain off of him with his vicious might, but the electricity from the weapon not only zaps him at full power, but electrifies the liquid as well. The room is filled with rapid flashes of light as the surface bursts into electricity, and X pulls the Strike Chain out of the water before the electricity recoiled back to him. Wheel Gator felt the full might of X's power underneath the liquid for ten whole seconds, his body spasming around as air bubbles right out of his jaw until his robotic form could not take it anymore.

X holds his arm cannon up to brace himself as Wheel Gator explodes underneath the liquid, sending his parts flying across the room along with an eruption of liquid, a lot of both objects going right out the windows to never be recovered again. X only holds his right hand out once Wheel Gator's head comes flying by, and he plucks it out of the air and grabs onto it from underneath to bring it close to his face. Wheel Gator's right eye had been blown out with smoke seeping out, and his teeth had all but been dismantled. Using his powers, X copies Wheel Gator's ability and briefly gains a dark green color scheme on his armor, but then quietly says "And this is for Persius…" He then uses his strength to crush Wheel Gator's dismantled head into a crumple of metal, throwing the ball of scrap out of the window before getting off the wall and landing back in the liquid.

X then lays a hand against his helmet and says professionally "Mission Accomplished Alia. The tank has been stopped and Wheel Gator has been dealt with." _"Great work X. We've managed to evacuate most of the citizens to safety while you were busy with Wheel Gator…At least now Persius can rest easy."_ X nodded his head in agreement of that, followed by him saying "Bring me back to HQ then Alia. There's nothing else to take care of here."

" _I'll get right on that. It seems you only took a little damage this time around too, so your repairs should only take about a minute or two when you get back."_ Alia pointed out happily, and X said with a bit of a smile on his face "It's all thanks to Dr. Light's armor parts." _"Yep, you have a lot to thank the good doctor for. Alright, I got a lock onto your position, I'm bringing you back now."_ Alia said before X was carried away from the tank by a beam of light, his mission here accomplished but at the cost of Wheel Gator's words leaving a bit of an impression on X's thoughts…

 _Next Time: Violen-t Sea Battle_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Cybernetic Coelacanth Submarine, Bubble Crab**

With Wheel Gator's demise and the dismantling of his tank now in progress, X returned to the Maverick Hunter HQ victorious, and upon getting himself quickly repaired for the bite marks in his armor he returned to central command in order to check up on things with Alia. Once more laying a hand on the back of her chair, X leans forward as Alia has the map of the island popped up in front of her with data on each of the five remaining Maverick's movements present as well. "What's the status on the remaining X-Hunters?" X inquired dutifully.

"You've taken care of the highest priority threats for now X. There's been no activity from the remaining X-Hunters at the moment…In fact, most of them are moving outside of their bases, probably to grab stuff to prepare for their next move." Alia explained while laying a hand on her communicator, as though she was receiving a message from another party as she spoke. Once she nodded her head she took that very hand and pointed it at the screen, specifically towards a Maverick that's currently residing near the waters.

"Our intel is saying that Bubble Crab is the only one residing in his base at this moment." Alia commented, leading to X widening his eyes a bit and stating "Bubble Crab? I think I've heard of him before…He was part of the same division as Wheel Gator, right?" As X leans forward to get a better look at the Maverick's mugshot to confirm his suspicions, Alia doesn't flinch at all as she taps away at the keyboard and states "I'll have to double-check that info in a bit."

"The most important thing to note right now is that there's an attack submarine preparing to deploy from Bubble Crab's base. We have no idea where it's going to go, but I doubt it's going to be harmless if we just leave it be." Alia stated, leading to X pulling back a bit and remarking "So basically, you want me to deal with the submarine and Bubble Crab at the same time?" Alia nodded her head, explaining further to X "You're going to have to go underwater to pursue the submarine, but that shouldn't be any problem for you considering you've dealt with Launch Octopus in the past."

"There'll be some resistance underwater, but I should be able to keep up with the submarine if it stays in the caverns" X stated with confidence, and Alia responds to that by telling him "Though considering how deep underwater you'll be going, there's a chance our communications will be disrupted. As such, I'll be dropping you off at the entrance to the caverns so I can give you the rundown on Bubble Crab's history before you get into the water."

"Good thinking Alia. You know, you're pretty good at this for being a first-time navigator." X said with the utmost complimenting tone, and Alia replies by saying nonchalantly "What can I say? I pick things up quickly most of the time. Anyways, no time for small talk X, you need to get going, the submarine is going to launch in roughly five minutes." Alia thus goes back to typing away at her keyboard, more than likely to get the coordinates set for teleportation, and X nods his head affirmatively and says "Roger. I'll head out right away."

X ran for the teleporter room as usual and stepped into the pod in order to be sent off to Bubble Crab's base. Once he was dropped off, X immediately found himself standing on some dampened rocks outside a cavern entrance. There was some humidity coming from within the tunnel that could be chalked up to the ocean waters deeper into the place, but X was more focused on contacting Alia and getting the information he needed on Bubble Crab as he advanced into the cavern.

"So what's Bubble Crab's deal?" X inquired as he turned his head to the left and saw that the sun was beginning to set, casting a beautiful red light on the area that would disappear from sight once X got far enough past the holes in the cavern walls. _"You would right when you said Bubble Crab is from the same unit as Wheel Gator. The two seemed to share a pretty bitter rivalry from what I'm reading in his profile. Anyways, the most important thing I can note from Bubble Crab's profile is that he loves treasure, so much in fact that he willingly betrayed the Maverick Hunters since Sigma offered him wealth beyond his wildest dreams."_

"Going Maverick out of greed? A-Are you sure there's not a deeper reason behind all of that?" X inquired, finding it very difficult to believe that Bubble Crab could be so petty in his reasoning for betrayal. With a disappointed sigh, Alia had no choice but to tell X _"I've done all I could to delve into his past, but all I've found are records of all of his looting ventures when he was out on Maverick hunting missions. Sorry X, I know it's hard to swallow, but there have been numerous cases of Reploids gaining a heavy interest in treasure and going Maverick because of that. Bubble Crab is just one of many…"_

"And he'll be stopped just like the rest. Causing terror to others doesn't pay." X firmly noted as he got deep enough into the cave to start encountering mechanical bat Reploids on the ceiling, all of them detecting X's movements and dropping down to start flying at him. X immediately remarks "Anyways, I've encountered the enemy forces, I'm going to engage them now and then pursue the submarine." X pulled his hand away from his helmet and turned it into an arm cannon to immediately start firing at the bats, knowing that they were weak enough to be taken down with a single uncharged shot each.

Once the swarm of bats were dealt with, X dashed through the cavern until he reached the end of the ground, and looking down allowed X to see the surface of the waters down below. With the sunlight not being cast inside of the cavern anymore, X had to activate his night vision so he'd still be able to see his way through the underwater cavern. X leaped down into the waters, immediately feeling resistance as he sunk deeper into them. X turned around as he sunk down, immediately noticing the walls opening up with circular holes as fish shaped torpedoes are launched his way.

The torpedoes are propelled with spinning drills on the back of their bodies, and all of them made their way straight at X as he continued to fall towards the ground. X lifted his arm cannon up and quickly charged energy within, firing a charged shot to take out all four fish torpedoes but simultaneously managing to push himself back from the amount of force he exerted, leading to him colliding back first against the nearby wall and recoiling forward from the impact. X lands on the ground a second later and lays his hand on his arm cannon, thinking to himself _"I need to get used to underwater physics again…I haven't been on a mission underwater since I faced Launch Octopus."_

X reminded himself of how to deal with the underwater resistance before he advanced on ahead, going down the rocky ledge to end up close to a metallic underwater dock. The gate was sealed shut for the moment, signifying that the submarine hadn't yet departed from the dock. X kneels down and waits for the gate to open up, since Alia wouldn't be able to tell him anything this far down into the water. He pays close attention for about a minute, and it was then that the gate slowly began to open up and a light poked out from the bottom of it.

Emerging from the dock was a medium-sized submarine that was shaped like a gigantic yellow fish with barren red eyes, a back fin for maneuvering, and a set of missile launchers on the back of it's body. The submarine swam out through the water at a decent pace, giving X confidence that he'd be able to keep up with it as he vaulted off of the ledge and landed down behind the submarine, immediately taking his arm cannon out and aiming it at the back fin since taking it out would make it harder for the vehicle to move.

" _Have to stop this before it gets past the cavern…"_ X thought to himself before he started charging his arm cannon at the submarine. But the spotlight on the bottom of the submarine moves backwards and catches X's presence just at the edge of the light, leading to the submarine letting off a sonar alarm to alert everyone in the immediate area of X's arrival as it also opens the tops of it's missile launchers and fires a few of them back towards X. X had to halt attacking the submarine to use his charged shot on the missiles coming his way, simultaneously breaking through the ceiling of the tunnel with the attack.

X then ran forward and tried to get underneath the submarine while holding his right arm cannon out and charging energy in it again, but as he got near the submarine the spotlight was replaced with a rainbow colored slicing laser that pivoted around and homed in specifically on X, ripping right through the ground easily and forcing X to leap back before the laser could cut into his armor. He calculated how far he would go with how much lighter his body was and didn't go too far away from the submarine because of that.

X then waited for the submarine to start descending before going after it, using regular shots to take down the missiles fired his way while saving his other arm cannon's charged shot for whatever fish Reploids came his way. It didn't take long for the area to become much more wide-open, and X saw valleys of coral reefs beautifully resting in the distance, all of them illuminated by what little of the setting sunlight. The submarine could just easily go towards them and evade X there, but it just kept moving forward through the tighter underwater cavern because that's just how it was programmed.

After another volley of missiles was dealt with, X realized he had an opportunity to attack the submarine and used this advantage to fire a charged shot at the back fin of the submarine. Surprisingly, the ship was durable as it took the charged shot and only was halfway damaged by it. Even worse, the submarine was able to keep going forward just fine without it, meaning another part of it was responsible for keeping it pushing ahead. X rapid fired regular shots to deal with another volley of missiles and then ran forward across the ground to catch back up with the submarine and hopefully figure this out.

X watched as the submarine stopped in place above a steel door, and thinking he had a perfect chance to damage the vehicle X took both of his arm cannons out and charged them up at the same time. But to protect itself from X's assault, the submarine called forth a swarm of about two dozens fish Reploids to get in the way of X's efforts. The thicket of Reploids meant that even if X fired off his charged shots, the damage dealt to the submarine wouldn't be as great.

X thus hopped back a bit along the ground, moving short distances before he got an idea and fired a charged shot to the right of him while in the middle of a leap, using the force of the attack to propel himself to the left quickly while simultaneously thrusting his other arm cannon out in the direction of the submarine, keeping a steady enough bead on it as the fish Reploids try to quickly intercept his movements. But it was too late as X fired off the charged shot at the submarine and watched as it ripped apart the left missile launcher and the small fin on that side.

Thankfully, X landed on the ground before firing that shot, preventing him from being sent further back but at the same time meaning he had to quickly lift his arm cannons up and move them around to take down the fish Reploids as fast as he could. He had to be hasty because the submarine had unlocked the door down to the next part of the caverns and descended. X thus leaped forward and used his dash boots to get enough propulsion to catch up with the submarine.

Descending further into the caverns, X finds that the darkness has increased even if his night vision is able to keep up with the change in lighting. In this underwater abyss, the pressure had increased, and while X was able to not be affected by it as he easily swung his arm cannon out and changed into Wire Sponge's weapon colors before launching a Strike Chain out at the vehicle's back fin. The attack struck the back fin and gripped onto it, and with a pull of his arm against the underwater resistance X manages to rip the back fin right off.

X then lands on the ground and goes for another Strike Chain attack on the other side fin, but this time the attack is intercepted by a mechanical jellyfish that was summoned via the sonar of the submarine. The jellyfish leeches the electricity from the Strike Chain and shoots it right back at X with double the force while surrounding itself with enough of it to briefly dispel the membrane and reveal it's mechanical innards.

The electricity strikes X and knocks him right back into the nearby wall in an instant, leaving sparks surrounding his body as he grits his teeth and turns back to his normal colors. X then pushes himself out of the wall with his right hand and sees a few of those jellyfish slowly going his way. He didn't have time to waste on them, especially with how slow they were moving, meaning he wouldn't have to worry about them catching up as he leaped over them and landed on a barely stable pillar of stone in the middle of a deep pit.

Underneath the submarine, X watches as the spotlight fires out the slicing laser once more to break apart the pillar he was on, but X anticipated the move and leaped out to the right to get around the submarine while charging energy in his held back right arm cannon. X thrust his arm out with a roar as he dropped down, hitting the glass holding the laser and spotlight with a fully charged shot to obliterate the whole thing and get pushed back into a wall of purple metal that X attaches himself to with just a tiny bit of recoil going through his body.

With the submarine's offensive options dealt with and it's mobility cut down, X just had to destroy the main body. But he would have to hurry, as the currents from the ocean up ahead were pulling the submarine along at a much faster pace. As X considered his options he slid down the wall a bit while looking around the area and saw another of those jellyfishes floating about. Remembering how long it took for the jellyfish to return the electricity from the Strike Chain, X switched back to Wire Sponge's colors and then leaped from the wall.

He thrust his right arm cannon out and fired a Strike Chain to grab onto the jellyfish, turning his body around to keep the jellyfish from being pulled at the moment as it absorbed the electricity from his attack. X then spun around and threw the jellyfish right into the side of the submarine, using just enough force to get the jellyfish ingrained into the metal. X's momentum keeps going forward as the jellyfish does it's job, unleashing all of the electricity inside of it before it could discern ally from enemy.

The electricity short circuits the innards of the submarine, quickly and surely preventing it from moving any further as it is quickly dropped towards the ocean floor. X floated over the submarine as it falls and crashes against the rocks, the front of it crunching upward before it is covered in a series of explosions, all leading up to one big explosion that pushes outward towards X with enough force to send him flying high up through the water.

X looks up quickly to make sure he wouldn't ram into a ceiling, and was surprised to find that there was a ledge of metal he could potentially land on. X decides to quickly get a charged shot formed as he turns himself and aims at the wall, gripping tightly onto his arm cannon as he fires and lets the propulsion send him towards the ledge he found. After successfully landing on said ledge, X looks down and watches as all the parts of the submarine descend into the abyss, never again to be recovered.

Though his mission was accomplished to destroy the submarine, there was still the matter of finding Bubble Crab in this underwater cavern and defeating him before he could attempt a move like this again. X took a moment to catch his breath and then turn around, and he found that he could ascend through this area and reach what appeared to be the main underwater base judging by the purple metal walls that were being integrated with the rocky caverns. X thought to himself _"Why would this passage be here?"_ as he leaped the wall and jumped up it to make his way to the very top of this area, eventually getting out of the water as he ends up in a small room.

The moment X makes it into this room, the way behind him was sealed up tightly by a giant metal door, the sudden slamming of it making X turn around and look shocked at what had happened. "A trap?!" X exclaimed after a gasp, and he immediately began to look at his surroundings to see what was going on. There were windows that were barred shut by large metal grates and a sliding door at the top of the wall in front of X that could only be assumed to be the only way out of this room now.

Otherwise, this place was pretty barren, save for one crucial detail that X most certainly paid attention to. On the wall below where the door was a capsule pod containing Zero's body and arms, leading X to remark with his eyes widened in surprise "It's another of Zero's parts…I must have stumbled upon an X-Hunter laboratory." X cautiously approaches the capsule pod while laying his right hand onto his helmet to try and contact Alia, but just like with Agile's lab he didn't get a signal from within here.

"Looks like I'm on my own for the moment…" X commented quietly before he pulled his hand away and found himself halfway towards Zero's part. As X pondered where the X-Hunter guarding this place was, all of a sudden the ceiling opens up wide and down drops the biggest of the X-Hunters, Violen. Violen lands on the ground with so much force that he unleashes a shockwave that pushed X back and knocked him onto his feet.

Violen looked at X with his blank eyes and puffed out smoke from his nostrils, commenting in a surprised tone of voice as he grinned "I thought I had caught a stray fish, but instead it's just puny little Maverick Hunter X." X lifts himself off the ground and summons his arm cannon onto his right hand before stating in surprise to his sudden guest "You…You're the X-Hunter known as Violen!" Violen laughs merrily as he clenches his gorilla-like fist and leans forward, telling X "So you remember me?! I'd be honored if I wasn't about to crush your memory processors into paste!"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you attempting to ruin Zero's name like this?!" X inquired angrily, and Violen laughed again before stating "Ruin his name? Hahahaha! We're going to make him an icon for the Maverick revolution! He should be honored to become a part of our army!" X lowered his arm cannon a bit and asked bitterly "What do you mean 'a part of your army'?"

"I don't know what that old geezer bot is planning to do, but he mentioned something about cloning Zero's body once he's able to put it all back together. Just imagine, an army of Zero bodies all under our control, wreaking havoc across the planet in the name of Maverick evolution!" Violen stated with the utmost energy and joy in his voice, and X proclaimed "An army of Zero clones? You're insane, and I won't allow you and the other X-Hunters to get away with this!"

"Do you think you have a choice in the matter you self-righteous piece of scrap? Once I'm done with you, your decisions will be as unimportant and outdated as the rest of you Maverick Hunters!" Violen said before whipping his head around once to get the morning star attached to the back of it around so he could grab onto it's chain and then spin the morning star around while proclaiming "Hahahaha! Lets tear each other apart X! I'm going to enjoy this battle!"

Violen immediately swings his morning star out at X, forcing X to leap to the right before the spikes could impale him. The morning star crashed against the wall and put a major dent into it, but Violen pulled back on the chain very quickly and immediately swung it right at X again. X had leaped back and landed on the wall, firing shots down at Violen only for him to lower his head down so the pellets of energy bounced harmlessly off his helmet. "You'll have to do better than that X!" Violen proclaimed with a rambunctious laugh before he swung his morning star again at X.

X then leaped off of the wall and thrust his arm cannon out while charging it up, preparing until he was right above the X-Hunter before firing at his helmet in hopes of destroying it. But Violen pulls his morning star back while lifting his hand up, making it so his weapon goes up into the air and slams right into X's body right as he was ready to fire off his charged shot. X grunted in pain as the morning star slammed him against the wall below the door and punctured a bit into his arms and legs with it's spikes while pressing him against said wall.

Violen then is forced to pull his morning star away and let it crash against the ground in front of him, and X pulls himself out of the wall with his left hand and lands on the ground behind Violen, and though some electricity came out of the holes in his body he still had managed to focus on charging energy in his arm cannon and got to fire off a shot right at Violen's back. The brute is pushed forward a few feet by the impact of the blow, with Violen letting out a grunt of shock before he slowly turns himself around to look at X.

But X had already used his speed to go in the opposite direction that Violen was turning and get behind him again. X used another charged shot to try and breech the back of Violen's armor, this time proving successful as the armor broke apart quickly and revealed some of the wiring underneath. X then switched to Wire Sponge's colors and charged up energy, preparing to fire off a charged Strike Chain right at Violen's exposed wiring.

The large chain goes for Violen's back, but the brute suddenly turns around to the left and grabs the end of the chain with his left hand, clamping it so tightly that no electricity was able to go through. "You take me for a fool, Maverick Hunter X?" Violen stated with a sneer on his face, and X responded as he pulled back a bit on the charged Strike Chain "You're just another muscular Maverick, I've dealt with plenty of them by now."

X proves his intelligence over Violen by taking his other arm cannon and firing another Strike Chain uncharged right at Violen's face, clamping it around it and causing electricity to zap him for a few seconds as X lets go of the charged Strike Chain and lets it retract into his arm cannon before he pulls on the second chain with enough force to drop Violen onto the ground stomach first. X then released his grip on Violen's face and switched colors to Overdrive Ostrich's before lifting his right arm cannon up at the wiring on Violen's back again.

Violen punches his fists against the ground to push himself back onto his feet before taking the Sonic Slicer head-on against his chest, and he quickly goes to swing his morning star out at X, this time being quite a bit more furious as he pulls it untamed back and forth around the room, at this point caring not if he broke apart his room so long as he hit X in the process. X ducked and leaped over the morning star without moving from his current location, staying focused on Violen as the brute kept flailing his weapon around without trying anything strategic.

He was definitely not as big of a threat as Agile was, and that just meant that X knew he could end this battle quickly before taking damage from his foe's incredible power. X switches over to Wheel Gator's weapon color and takes his right arm cannon out, leaping over the morning star before spawning a spiked wheel from his cannon that rolls straight through the air and goes right for Violen's right arm, specifically at the shoulder considering the way he was swinging the morning star at the moment.

The sharp spikes along with it's quick rotation allows the wheel to rip right through even Violen's durable armor, cutting his arm off from the rest of his body and also managing to get the chain of the morning star as well. The arm clunks down onto the ground along with Violen's weapon, and the X-Hunter growled angrily before leaping right at X and trying to grab him out of the air with his other hand while he still had the chance.

X however stamped his foot against Violen's head and leaped over his body as the X-Hunter was pushed down into the ground, and once X was on the floor he switched back to Overdrive Ostrich's weapon colors and swung his right arm cannon out to throw a quick Sonic Slicer right at Violen's exposed back wiring. After the shot sliced into Violen's wiring, Violen growled and tried to turn himself around with his hands, but spasmed due to the damage in his circuitry.

"Y-You won't…Get away with this…Cowardice!" Violen proclaimed, and X lowered his arms for a moment and said "You hide in these bases…Have your minions do all of your dirty work…And I'm the coward here? You Mavericks are the only cowards here, X-Hunter!" Suddenly, a voice called out to Violen from a radio communication line, stating in an echoing tone of voice _"Don't waste your energy reserves trying to insult him, Violen. He's not capable of realizing how much of a coward he is."_

The voice was only somewhat familiar to X, and he commented in a surprised tone "That's the third X-Hunter leader…Serges." "Hey old man! Get down here and help me stomp X before he takes another of Zero's parts!" Violen exclaimed while distorting slightly in his voice pattern, and Serges stated _"You've already lost the parts with your incompetence! And I do not tolerate incompetence lightly you overgrown baboon!"_

"W-What?!" Violen exclaimed in a tone of utter surprise, and Serges stated _"I will personally deal with the blue boy myself when the time comes since you and Agile have failed. You are coming back to base now!"_ Before Violen could voice any objections, Serges suddenly activates a teleportation beam that zaps the X-Hunter and makes him get sent right out of the room along with his broken arm and weapon. X looked around in shock at how sudden Violen was taken out of here, but looked up towards the ceiling and grit his teeth a bit before stating "Hey, Serges! I'll face you right now!"

There was no response from the Maverick, leading X to lower his head and quietly remark to himself "He's gone…It doesn't matter I guess…I still defeated Violen, which means…" X turns around and sees that Zero's parts were emerging from the wall still safely kept in the capsule. X walks up to the capsule and lays his right hand on his helmet, commenting to Alia now that the communication line was back up "Alia, sorry I haven't reached you in a while."

" _Oh good! You're alive…I was worried when I saw the submarine explode and I lost track of you on the cameras. Did you run into any additional trouble X?"_ Alia inquired after a gasp of surprise and relief. X nodded his head and said "I ran into another of the X-Hunters here and have found Zero's body and arm parts. I'll leave them here for pick up while I go deal with Bubble Crab." _"Not a problem X. I'm just glad to know you're still alive."_ Alia commented right away.

X didn't need to say anymore now regarding the situation in this room, and after pulling his hand away from his helmet he lays it against the glass of the capsule in front of him and said with a bit of a smile on his face "Just one more part Zero…And then I'll find some way to get you put back together." X pulled his hand away and then nodded his head, proceeding to look up at the door and leaping up the wall towards it so it could open and X could exit this room.

Outside the room X finds himself overlooking a ledge on the other side of the area where another pairing of steel sliding doors were, leading X to comment in a rather disbelieving voice "I-I can't believe Bubble Crab is just a jump away. Guess I shouldn't complain…" X immediately leaps over the gap between ledges and lands in front of the door, watching as they open up and allow X passage into the last chamber in this base.

The moment he drops down past the second set of doors X lands on an inch high pool of water above a grated purple steel platform. The room was incredibly damp with moisture, but Bubble Crab was nowhere in sight at the moment. X just waited patiently while holding his right arm cannon by the barrel, and after a few seconds the grate on the other side of the room flips open as the Maverick leaps out from the underwater area.

The Maverick known as Bubble Crab was wide and somewhat rounded in his body size, with legs of red and silver and slanted eyes with red irises and white glints as pupils. He had a Sigma insignia on the blue plate of metal above his eyes, and off to the sides of that metal were two antenna. His shoulders were yellow and had two green pincers sticking out to fit with his theme, and he lacked a mouth and instead had a metal grate where it would be on the underside of his body. Bubble Crab looked at X with a dull look in his eyes as he said "Why am I not surprised that it was you who destroyed my submarine?"

"Bubble Crab, why were you sending a submarine out to attack others?!" X immediately went on to accuse the Maverick, and Bubble Crab stumbled back a bit and said with widened eyes "What?! What gave you the idea that I was going to attack anyone?! I sent a submarine out to collect some treasure deep underwater. Does attacking a city sound at ALL like something I'd do?!"

"Maybe, especially since you went Maverick." X was rather blunt in his response, and a furious Bubble Crab stamps his right foot down a couple times before exclaiming "Now you listen here X! Just because I got off the Maverick Hunter's crummy payroll and joined someone with a better cut of the jib doesn't mean I went Maverick!" "How could you possibly justify your betrayal with money?!" X exclaimed, still finding it hard to believe that Bubble Crab could be so petty.

"Not everyone wants to live their life hunting Mavericks X! Just because you enjoy it doesn't mean the rest of us did! I'd rather collect treasures and build up my wealth and stay away from all of that insanity! I mean you Maverick Hunters stuck me in the same unit as that lunatic Wheel Gator and expected me to stay with such a lousy payroll!" Bubble Crab pointed in with an incredible amount of frustration in his voice, leading to X scowling a bit before the Maverick said to him "Speaking of that monster, I just want to personally thank you for retiring him. In fact, even after you destroyed my submarine and invaded my personal base, I'm perfectly willing to let bygones-be-bygones and just forget this entire thing ever happened if you leave here right now."

"Is that a threat Bubble Crab? Sounds like Maverick talk to me…" X said, and Bubble Crab widened his eyes and told him "Are your audio receptors broken from being stuck in the water for so long?! I'm giving you a chance to just walk away without causing you any trouble!" "That's not going to happen Bubble Crab. You made your decision when you chose to join the X-Hunters. You should've known this was going to be the consequence of your actions." X commented on calmly.

"Ok fine?! I tried to be a nice guy cause you killed Wheel Gator, but if you're just going to keep on with your self-righteousness, then I'm just going to have to exterminate you before you can take my treasure away from me!" Bubble Crab said, becoming absolutely steamed at this point as he raised his arms up into the air and causes the water level to rise until it filled half the room, leading Bubble Crab to then thrust his pincers up high while proclaiming "Now I'm really crabby!" He then surrounds himself with a bubble shield after retracting his pincers to signify the true start to the battle.

Bubble Crab starts off by leaping at X, but X retaliates by firing some regular shots from his right arm cannon in hopes of popping the bubble around his body. But the pellets just bounce harmlessly off the bubble and the Maverick gets close enough swing his right shoulder out and make his pincers extend out and grab onto X's chest, pinching into his armor and pushing him right against the wall behind him as the bubble goes away around his body. "How do you like that you goodie two-shoes?!" Bubble Crab exclaimed furiously as he tries to clamp his pincers deeper into X's armor.

X lifts his right arm cannon up and switches to Overdrive Ostrich's colors, using the Sonic Slicer to rip through Bubble Crab's energy pincers and give himself enough time to duck down before they reappear. X then thrusts his arm cannon into the front of Bubble Crab's body, only for the Maverick to summon his bubble again before the attack connects. X's arm cannon pushes against the front of the bubble and causes Bubble Crab to be knocked back through the water. But while he was doing this X began to charge energy in his arm cannon, and was thus ready to fire a charged shot right at Bubble Crab.

To his and Bubble Crab's surprise though, the charged shot struck the bubble and just bounced right off, hitting the ceiling and breaking through it with relative ease. Bubble Crab slowly descends to the floor and blinks twice before saying "H-Ha! I knew I'd be able to stop your charged shot! You're pretty weak X!" The lack of confidence in his voice suggested that it was a pure fluke that X hadn't gotten through. X didn't pay attention to the Maverick's boast and instead thought to himself while changing colors back to normal _"I need to try something else to get through his bubble…"_

Though the Sonic Slicer would've gotten the job done, X wasn't certain that it would also be able to harm Bubble Crab in the process. He needed something a little stronger to get that job done, and considering what he knew about their history X found it ironic that he had just recently got the perfect weapon for dealing with this situation. He switched to Wheel Gator's colors as Bubble Crab pushed towards him again with his arms swung out, and upon holding his right arm cannon up X spawned a spiked wheel and pushed it right at Bubble Crab.

Bubble Crab widened his eyes and exclaimed "Whoa what?!" and then swerved to the right as the wheel cut right into his bubble shield and popped it clean open. X then thrusts his left fist out and punches Bubble Crab right in the side of his face, denting his body and sending him pushing back through the room until he hits the back wall and bounces back, landing on the ground on his feet and looking up at X while rubbing the dent in his armor, saying in a disbelieving tone "T-That's Wheel Gator's power! How are you able to use that?!"

X didn't responds as he fires another spiked wheel straight along the ground at Bubble Crab, and the Maverick leaped to the side to avoid it, putting himself in the corner of the room while he remarked "Oh geez! This was on the report the other X-Hunters gave me! You have the ability to copy other Reploids powers!" As Bubble Crab panicked over this information, X was busy charging up the power of Wheel Gator's weapon while stating to him "This is what you get for focusing only on your greed, Bubble Crab!"

X fires off a gigantic glowing green spiked wheel that whirls along the ground and goes straight for Bubble Crab. Bubble Crab tries to leap out of the way, but the bottom of his boody is torn up vertically a bit as he leaped, followed by the wheel bursting and releasing some energy spikes in eight directions, one of them going right up and tearing right through the rest of Bubble Crab's body, splitting him straight in half as his eyes widen and he murmurs out with the last of his power "A-At least I…outlived…that monster…"

The water suddenly lowers down back into the grates as the two halves of Bubble Crab's body land on the floor with a heavy clank, and X turns his colors back to normal before walking over to Bubble Crab's remains. He extends his hand down and touches the front of one half of the Maverick's body to copy his ability into his body. His armor turns yellow momentarily as X rises back onto his feet and immediately lays a hand on the right side of his helmet, leading to him commenting "Bubble Crab has been defeated, Alia."

" _I can see that X. Great job. We'll hopefully be able to recover the treasures he's stolen and give them back to the humans and Reploids who need them. I'm bringing you back to base, there's nothing left here you need to investigate."_ Alia said, leading to X nodding his head and stating "Mission Accomplished then, I'll be back shortly." X thus waited a few seconds for the teleportation beam to take him back to HQ, and now he was halfway through the Mavericks hired by the X-Hunters…

 _Next Time: A Volcanic Plunge_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Unleash the Flame Stag**

With Bubble Crab's demise, X was now halfway through the Mavericks the X-Hunters had hired to fight against him. Not only that, but he had acquired two of Zero's three parts and gotten half of the Second Armor Dr. Light had prepared for him in those capsules. He was feeling pretty good about things at the moment, even though he still was concerned about how Zero was going to be put back together. Dr. Cain's holographic consciousness had not yet returned with news of his search for help in repairing Zero, but at the same time X had been so focused on his mission so far that he hadn't even considered asking the doctor how things were going.

But first X had to get a quick repair job done onto him after facing both Violen and Bubble Crab, which led to him detouring to the repair capsules for a couple minutes before he returned to the central command room. Upon entering the room though, he thought to himself while glancing at Alia _"I should check up on Dr. Cain…Hopefully he's made some progress."_ After climbing the small staircase, X goes straight to Alia, finding that she was looking at the data for Zero's body and arm parts.

The moment Alia hears someone approaching her, however, she switches her computer screen over to the map of the island the X-Hunters were occupying and turned her chair to the left to look at X, laying her hands atop her legs as she commented "We've made a lot of progress so far X. Half the Mavericks have been defeated, and you just need to find one more of Zero's parts. Are you looking for any information on whether the Mavericks have returned to their bases or not?"

X gestured his right hand out and commented quietly "In a moment Alia…First I want to know if Dr. Cain has gotten in contact with HQ recently." Alia nodded her head and turned to look at the computer screen, and she quickly tapped away at the keyboard to check and see if there was any contact from Dr. Cain, suggesting that she had not been directly contacted by him since the last time the doctor was here. After a few seconds, Alia remarks "Seems he hasn't been in contact with anyone here recently X."

X hung his head a bit and remarked "I thought so…Ok, that's alright Alia, I know he'll contact us later. Right now just show me the map of the island and I'll go after another Maverick." Alia said while immediately tapping on the keyboard "Not a problem X. But you sure you aren't getting tired? Just because you're mechanical doesn't mean you can't overexert your body." Alia's concerns are noted by X, who said to her with a bit of a smile on his face "I'll be alright. I can rest once we're all done with the X-Hunters."

After that Alia tries to pop up the map for the island, only to be met with some strange interference on the screen that appears to have a particular form to it. "Huh? Is someone hacking into the mainframe?!" Alia was shown to be surprised for once as she tried to quickly type something onto the keyboard in hopes of repelling whatever was appearing on screen, but while she did that X looked around and saw that no other computer was being affected and he raised his arm up to remark "Wait a moment Alia, I think someone's trying to contact us, not hack into the mainframe."

Alia decided to trust X's judgment as she noticed something particularly familiar about the way the static distorted. Letting things go as is, Alia and X both watch as the static on the screen changes to show a copy of Dr. Cain's body physical body in a 16-Bit looking sprite. The sprite moved around a bit as a voice came out from the computer screen and said _"Ah, sorry for the disruption there. Still, you were successfully fending off my presence for a few seconds there Ms. Alia…Your reputation is certainly warranted."_

"I-I'm honored you know me, sir. What brings you back here, Dr. Cain?" Alia inquired after a moment of surprise, and X got in the way of Dr. Cain explaining himself through the computer right away by asking politely "Have you found anyone who can help us repair Zero? I've managed to recover two-thirds of his body so far." Dr. Cain remarked after that _"You have? Excellent job X, I expected such progress from you. As a matter of fact though, I have actually managed to convince an old friend of mine to help us out with Zero's reconstruction. He should be over there even-"_

Suddenly, the door in the command center opens up behind X and Alia, and as someone walks into the room they say in an accented tone of voice "So 'dis is the Maverick Hunter HQ? Fascinating…But their defenses could use a little upgrading. Someone else of my intelligence level could easily break in." Alia was surprised by how suddenly this person appeared in this room, and as she turned her chair to look at them X does the same, with Dr. Cain remarking in a humored tone _"Ah, you already made it, my old friend."_

Standing in the room with his arms folded behind a pure blue-white lab coat was a Reploid with small generators sticking out of his shoulders and wires going from them to his forehead. He had a long white beard shaped somewhat like a lightning bolt and a tall head of white hair to go along with it. He had bushy eyebrows and small dotted black eyes fit into a triangular frame, and his boots were blue and grey and shaped very similar to X's own. Instead of introducing himself to the confused X and Alia, this Reploid instead raised his right arm up and looked at a watch sticking out from the back of his hand, remarking in a humored tone "Beat me by .00024 seconds Cain. You're slipping in your old, digitized age."

" _Or perhaps you are still getting better in your old age, my friend."_ Dr. Cain stated in a happy tone, and the Reploid smiled before looking at X and Alia, at which point X asked "Who are you?" The man took his right hand out to X's own and shook it before he got a chance to do the job himself, leading to him remarking as he casually looks off at his left arm and sees a gauge monitoring the pressure of X's own grip before remarking "I am the most prestigious and renowned Reploid doctor slash scientist in the world. I would assume that my reputation would be enough for you to identify me henceforth, Mr. X?"

As X just goes with the flow of the handshake, he lets out a confused "S-Sorry…I've never heard of you before." The Reploid's eyes immediately widened and he turned his attention towards the monitor Dr. Cain data consciousness was inhabiting and asked in a very bewildered manner "Cain, did you not tell them about me before I made my grand entrance?" _"Sorry old friend, but you got here before I got the chance to do so. X, Alia…This is Dr. Doppler. He is the very first Reploid scientist ever made, and by far my closest friend."_ Dr. Cain explained after feeling a bit of regret for not introducing his friend sooner.

Alia immediately recognized the name and said in an impressed tone "Dr. Doppler? You're THAT Dr. Doppler?" Doppler turned to Alia and preemptively grabbed her right hand, shaking it much to her surprise as he looks at his left arm and this time monitors the data processing capabilities Alia possessed. As he looks at that he nonchalantly remarks "If there were any other Dr. Dopplers in the world, I'd remove them from existence post-haste, I assure you."

"Well, I may not have heard of you before, but any friend of Dr. Cain is a friend of the Maverick Hunters. It's an honor to meet you, Doppler." X stated with a smile on his face, and Doppler immediately pulled his hand away from Alia, turned around, and bent down enough to press his face against X's while reminding him with a firm glare "You shall refer to me as DOCTOR in my presence. Only my good pal Cain is allowed to not call me by that title." X awkwardly stated "Y-Yes sir" in response to that, and Doppler then pulled his face away and stood upright with his arms folded back behind his coat.

"So Dr. Cain, what's going on here? Why is Dr. Doppler here?" Alia inquired while focused on the computer, and Dr. Cain explained _"I called upon him for help in reconstructing Zero. I've told him everything that's been happening so far with the X-Hunters, and he was more than happy to oblige."_ Doppler nodded his head and remarked "Of course. It's not every day that one gets a chance to recreate a fine piece of work like Zero. Cain has already given me a copy of Zero's blueprints to work with, and with both the body and the legs in your possession I'll be able to get started right away."

" _With some supervision from me, it should only take a few hours to put the first two parts back together. After that, the head will be quite easy to place on once you get it back, X."_ Dr. Cain remarked, putting his faith into X's capability to get the head back, which leads to X nodding his head and saying "Can do Dr. Cain. And it's an honor to be working with you Dr. Doppler. Thank you for coming." X extends his hand out for another handshake, and Doppler simply chuckles a bit at the appreciation and says "But of course. Though I must say, you may seriously want to consider fixing your teleporters. It was a little easy for me to hack into the wavelength and bring myself right into your base."

"W-Wait…You hacked your teleporters?" Alia remarked with a surprised look in her eyes, and Doppler grinned and said "But of course. Had I not done that, a lot of time would've been lost that could've instead been spent working on Zero! Speaking of such things, I suppose idle conversation is also getting in the way of my work, so I shall take my leave to your workshop and begin working on Zero once you send the two parts to me, Ms. Alia. And I would appreciate it if I was not at all disturbed during my work, unless it's to give me the last part I need."

Doppler then goes for the door without shaking X's hand, and once the good Reploid doctor was out of the room X remarked "He definitely loves his work…" Dr. Cain stated on the monitor right away _"I created him with an equal love of science as myself. I suppose I should've given him a little bit of social skills as well, but he's still been a close friend of mine despite all that. Anyways, I'm afraid I will have to join him soon. First I need to make my way out of his laboratory's mainframe…Hmmm…Good luck X, though I suppose I don't need to tell you that."_

Dr. Cain's then disappears from the monitor, making it return back to the map of the island as Alia began tapping on the keyboard and remarking "I'm giving the request to the science department to forward both of Zero's parts to Dr. Doppler's possession, but now we need to focus back on the Maverick situation. There's four Mavericks left to deal with, and right now everyone is back at their bases. Where do you want to go next, X?"

X turned to the monitor and looked over his options, and found himself drawn towards a volcano where a Maverick was currently residing at. "I probably just got a water based power from Bubble Crab. It might not be a bad idea to go after the Maverick in the volcano and use this power against him." X commented in an analytical tone, and Alia said in a surprised manner "Thinking strategically there? That's not a bad idea though X. Flame Stag's base has been showing signs of seismic activity lately, and considering he's in a volcano I can't imagine the tremors are leading to anything good…"

"Then it looks like it's settled. I'll go after Flame Stag next." X stated, and Alia replied with a "Way ahead of you" as she tapped away at the keyboard to set the coordinates in the teleporter for X to use. X complimented Alia's efficiency with a cheerful "Thanks a lot. I'm heading out now." and then turned around to go make his way towards the teleporters. It only took him a few seconds to make the trip, and he was sent off to the volcano Flame Stag was occupying in a flash of light.

X lands down on an elevation of rock close to the bottom of the towering volcano, and he's immediately finding himself looking straight at a passage into the volcano. But before he entered inside the volcano, he laid a hand against the side of his helmet and decided to get some information on Flame Stag from Alia. "Alia, what's up with Flame Stag? Tell me everything you know." X inquired, and Alia replied quickly _"Flame Stag used to be a Maverick Hunter. He was one of our Elites and a close friend of Boomer Kuwanger. The two rebelled and became a part of Sigma's army at the same time, but it seems after Sigma's defeat the X-Hunters picked him up and made him a part of their group. His appearance on the island marks the first time he had been seen since Sigma's defeat. He's probably one of the most powerful Mavericks the X-Hunters have recruited to their side, so be careful."_

"I will. Anything else I should know?" X inquired while taking Alia's information to mind, and she told him honestly _"There's no X-Hunter signals or Dr. Light capsules in the area. All you have to do is go to Flame Stag and defeat him. Just one more thing though. The seismic activity is causing lava geysers to erupt on the sides of the volcano, so keep an eye out for them as you scale the volcano."_

X grabs onto his arm cannon and states "Alright then, beginning mission!" X leaped right off of the rock structure and air dashed into the passage, sliding on the ground as he sticks the landing and immediately being greeted by a large armored beetle with a horn that had a whirling bladed tip and rockets on it's lower body keep it afloat. The moment it spots X, the beetle pushes it's rockets back and charges right at X. X bends himself back and falls to the ground while lying down so the beetle can charge harmlessly over him, and it kept flying straightforward until it crashed against the rock pillar outside and blew both it and itself up.

X pulls himself back upright and then moves forward, leaping up towards a wall and preparing to jump off it to ascend up a small rocky shaft. It was a little heated inside of the volcano at the moment, and X took a second to prepare his ventilation system to keep himself cool as he continues onward. He then aimed his arm cannon upward diagonally to shoot at a two-legged machine with spikes on it's head that was patrolling the area, and X was able to destroy it before it could attack.

He then leaped off the wall a couple times and ended up on another rocky ledge, walking just a little bit further until he had to leap forward to climb up another wall with some quick but well-timed jumps. On a longer rocky ledge, X saw some more of those two-legged robots stuck to the wall up ahead, and X held his arm cannon up while charging energy within the barrel while the robots fired off some lasers from their spikes to try and hit X as he ran. X leaped between the upper two lasers from the machines and then fired his charged shot in retaliation

After taking down all three patrol robots, X dropped down off the ledge and landed on a thick metal beam suspended over a boiling pool of lava. The heat he felt increased tenfold immediately, but his ventilation kept him safe as he walked across the beam while looking up for any sign of a shaft he could climb up. Right as he found it, X had to keep himself balanced as the volcano began to experience some seismic activity. Not only that, but like Alia warned him about the lava below him was starting to rise up rapidly.

X quickly leaped off the beam and started to scale the shaft with wall jumps as the lava rose up quickly after him. The pressure was on for X to make it to the very top of the shaft, for he not only had to pay attention to the walls to make sure they'd be stable enough to support him, but that he wouldn't also run into enemies along the way up. Just in case though, X began charging his arm cannon so he could instantly deal with any obstacle that got in his way.

After at least thirty seconds of scaling, X leaps out of the lip of the shaft to the right, and the lava erupts into a mighty, towering geyser that spreads lava across the ground around it randomly. X gets far enough away from the geyser to avoid having any lava land on his armor, and he takes a moment to catch his breath due to the frantic nature of his ascent up the shaft. After ten seconds of resting, X dispels the charge of his arm cannon by firing directly upward towards the sunset skies and then looks on ahead towards his next obstacle. There were a few stone pillars suspended in the middle of another lava pool, and it was clear they weren't going to be that stable and would fall the moment X got on them.

But X leaps bravely across the platforms without hesitation, making it to the passage back into the volcano on the other side even though he had to grab the side of the ledge with his left hand to make it all the way. After climbing up onto the ledge, X runs forward a few feet and sees the heat of the lava exuding in the air as he gets to the end of the rocks. X gets a good look at the machinery planted inside of the volcano from this point, and he sees in particular that some pistons were dipping into the lava and causing the tremors to go off through the volcano.

There were a few more rock platforms suspended over lava, and X jumped down to the first one and prepared to make a leap across them all before they sunk into the lava. But another of those armored beetles get in his way, forcing X to charge up his arm cannon as he jumped across the platforms and then fire two shots at the beetle to destroy it as it charged at him. He then continued on his way as the remains of the beetle fell into the lava.

X then reached a small rocky ledge beneath a very tall shaft through this next part of the volcano. He had to take note of the heated air vents spewing fire occasionally before he decided to climb his way up to the top of the area. But as he climbed his way up, an incredibly large tremor shook the volcano, forcing X to drop down onto a ledge at the beginning of his ascension as the lava began to rise up below him.

X quickly rose up the shaft, but this time around the lava was rising a lot faster than before, meaning that even with his perfect jumps and such X was going to have a very difficult time outrunning the lava geyser before he makes it to the top. Having to distract himself by destroying robotic dragonflys did not make things any easier for him, and as such X had to come up with an alternate solution to get to the top of the geyser.

His mind worked fast, and he quickly noticed an extension of work large enough to make it through the rest of the shaft and act as a platform for him to stand on. As such, X switched to Overdrive Ostrich's colors for his armor and fired a Sonic Slicer that ripped perfectly through the end of the rocks and dropped a platform towards the rising lava. X leaped onto it right in the nick of time while switching his armor back to the familiar blue tint and rode the rock up to the very top of the shaft.

Once the geyser reached the top of the shaft, X leaped right off of the rock platform and performed a short roll on the ground to get underneath a wall of rock so he'd be protected from the downpour of lava droplets coming from the geyser. But this action also placed him directly in front of the steel sliding doors that would lead to Flame Stag's location within the base. X was surprised at how quickly he got through the volcano upon turning around to look at the doors, and he quickly contacted Alia and asked "Are you sure there aren't any X-Hunters here, Alia?"

" _No. I get the feeling Flame Stag wanted things to be easy for you to deal with so he could face you himself at full power. That's pretty confident of him, so be careful X."_ Alia gave her little commentary on the situation before X entered the doors to Flame Stag's domain and found himself dropping down a small shaft until he lands on a sleek metal platform suspended over a boiling vat of magma. This area was the central hub where the seismic activity was being commanded, but at the moment Flame Stag was nowhere to be found.

It doesn't take long though for a voice to call down from above with a gruff but well-mannered tone "I knew you would make it here eventually, X." X looked up and saw the Maverick he was searching for standing atop a ledge of stone for but a moment, as he leaped off the edge of it and perform a quick flip before landing on the platform across from X. The Maverick was a tall bipedal robot with ignition vents on his wrists and legs that shoot out burning red flames at certain intervals around his fists and legs. His body was composed of a non-combustible orange metal and he had blue chest and leg armor to help regulate the temperature of his body so he doesn't overheat himself, and his deer-like head had 'antlers' created from flames coming out of two small green broilers.

Flame Stag folded his burning fists together against his chest, and X immediately said to him "Flame Stag? What are you planning to do with this volcano?!" Flame Stag responded politely with "I don't plan to do anything with it X. The X-Hunters are the ones who wanted to use the volcano for their plans. They hope to make it erupt and cover the skies with volcanic ash to start a new ice age, and since we Reploids wouldn't be affected by the cold we'd outlive the humans once it began."

"That's insane! And you're just going along with that?! Why? You used to be a respectable Maverick Hunter, you and Boomer Kuwanger both…" X couldn't believe that Flame Stag would go along with such insanity, and he was right to make that assumption as Flame Stag looked at X and said "I agree. The X-Hunters' plans are completely insane from what I've seen and heard." "Then why are you with them?" X said with a sharp but accusing tone of voice.

"…I hope you aren't assuming that I've stopped being a Maverick because I oppose the X-Hunters, X. I still agree with Sigma's views about Reploid evolution…But at the same time, there was something I could gain from being a part of the X-Hunters that I absolutely had to have." Flame Stag explained while closing his eyelids, and X inquired quietly "And what's that?" Flame Stag pointed his right hand out from his arms and said to X "A chance to fight you one-on-one X."

"What? Why?" X stated while pointing at himself, and Flame Stag explained while folding his arms back together again "You made quite a name for yourself by defeating Sigma, X. I must admit, I at first thought Sigma's views of you being the herald of Reploid evolution was ridiculous, but then you not only destroyed Boomer Kuwanger, but Vile and Sigma in quick succession. There's certainly a reason to believe that what Sigma was saying is true, and I must admit I'm curious to test your capabilities out because of that."

"Then you can return to the Maverick Hunter HQ and accept punishment for your crimes, and once you've been on trial we can spar whenever you want. You didn't have to join the X-Hunters to fight me, Flame Stag." X commented on, and Flame Stag closed his eyelids again and pointed out "I'm sorry X, but I can't do that. If we fight just a sparring match, then I know you won't go all-out. You have to fight with something at stake…And as much I hate to go along with the X-Hunter's goals for even a moment…If you don't fight me with all of your strength, then I will use the remote detonator within my body to set off the volcano. Only by destroying me will you succeed in stopping their plans, X."

X was shocked that Flame Stag was willing to go that far to fight him, but knowing now that this behavior fits in line with a true Maverick, X grabs onto his arm cannon and says "Then you choose to behave like a Maverick to the very end, Flame Stag. Fine, if you want your fight, then you've given me no choice but to defeat you!" Flame Stag unfurls his arms and states with a smile on his face "Now that's the spirit X! Show me the strength you used to conquer Sigma!"

Flame Stag then flares up the flames on his fists, legs and antlers and is all-too ready for battle. X tries to start things off with a charged shot despite knowing that Flame Stag would be weak to Bubble Crab's power. But Flame Stag leaps right over the charged shot and thrusts his right fist out to send a couple of fireballs spiraling close together straight at X. X flips to the right to avoid the fireballs, but Flame Stag coats his right foot in flames and dive kicks right down at him the moment the dodging happens.

Flame Stag strikes the ground with his kick and creates a plume of fire that hits X and knocks him back against the wall, and as his body bounces off of it X is hit with a flaming uppercut to the chin from Flame Stag that knocks him right up to the ceiling and cracks it apart a bit upon impact. This is followed up by X pulling himself from the ceiling and getting both of his arm cannons out so he could rapid-fire shots down at Flame Stag. Flame Stag leaps back across the platform as the shots rain down upon the ground, and he thrusts his right fist out as X lands on the ground.

Two more fireballs are sent at X in the same manner as before, but this time X was prepared for the move and quickly lifted his right foot up and spun to the left to dodge it while grasping onto his right arm cannon and charging it up. By the time he put his foot back down on the ground, X was able to fire a charged shot right at Flame Stag. The attack strikes him directly in the chest and makes him stumble back a bit, but then Flame Stag follows up by punching both of his fists against the ground to send pillars of flames right at X.

X leaped back to get onto the wall before the flame pillar could hit him, but he had gotten to where Flame Stag had wanted him to be as the Maverick leaped off the ground and spun his right foot out while it was covered in fire. X got off of the wall after the flame pillars went away and grabbed Flame Stag's foot before he connected the kick, and as X landed on the ground he swung the Maverick right into the wall behind him with enough force to shake the room. X then let go of Flame Stag and pulled his arm cannon back out ready to perform his next move.

Flame Stag propelled himself backwards out of the indent in the wall by igniting the flames on his right fist, and as he flew towards X he thrust his right leg behind him to try and kick him. X saw this coming and leaped to the left to get out of the way, leading to Flame Stag landing one foot on the ground while the toes of the other stopped him from skidding back further than necessary. X then switched to Bubble Crab's colors and aimed his arm cannon at the Maverick.

X then fired off a large stream of yellow-ish bubbles right at Flame Stag, and the Maverick was taken by surprise upon seeing this attack and thus got hit by it rather quickly. The bubbles popped and splashed Flame Stag's body with water, dousing his flames as he remarked "T-This is…" Once his flames were out, X ran right at Flame Stag and punched him hard in the chest with his left fist to not only dent his armor, but hit him against the wall behind where he stood.

X then jumped back as Flame Stag dropped to the ground on his knees, and after a few seconds he remarked in a surprised tone "I-I see now…This is the potential that Sigma always spoke about…It's your ability to copy the powers of other Reploids…If such a power could be given to other Reploids, they'd be able to evolve past their current state…" X raised his arm cannon up once Flame Stag got done with his sentence, and Flame Stag commented afterwards "…But I do not need to be changed. I am already strong enough as is, X. If you think some mere bubbles are going to stop me, then you'll be quite surprised by what I'm about to show you!"

Flame Stag suddenly thrust his upper body upright and clenched his fists tightly, and suddenly the pressure meter on his chest shot up to the red mark as the flames erupted around the Maverick's body once more. But this time the flames were bright blue, increasing the heat of the room quite a bit as the flames flared brightly across the entire area. X was pushed back by the sheer pressure of the flames, but he quickly fired off another wave of the Bubble Splash at Flame Stag.

But the bubbles sizzled away from the heat Flame Stag exuded, surprising X greatly right as Flame Stag thrusts himself forward with heavy bursts of flames from his feet and quickly performs a gigantic uppercut that covers his whole body in fire as he strikes X hard in the chin again. X is thrust up high into the air again, but as he rebounds off of the ceiling Flame Stag leaps high into the air and wraps his arms around X's body. The heat of the Maverick's flames pressure X's body constantly as he stays within it's presence.

Flame Stag then flips his body upside down and kicks his feet off of the ceiling to greatly increase his descending momentum, and as his body is wrapped brightly by the blue flames he slams X right into the ground with incredible force, creating a room covering explosion of blue fire that somehow doesn't melt apart the platform they were on instantly. Flame Stag leaps back rather quickly after letting go of X, and X falls onto the front of his body with a great deal of burn marks spread across his entire body along with a couple bits of wires exposed on his arm cannon and legs.

As electricity sparked out of the wires, X began to push himself up while gritting his teeth, realizing that he had to try something else to defeat Flame Stag since his weakness strategy isn't going to cut it. That particular word he thought, 'cut', gave X an idea on how to deal with Flame Stag. He recognized that Flame Stag fueled his flames with the hoses connected to his body from the pressure meter on his chest. Without those hoses, he wouldn't be able to summon forth any flames at all.

X switched over to Overdrive Ostrich's colors and immediately firmed his concentration on Flame Stag's movements, watching as the Maverick leaped at him with double the speed as before, barely allowing X time to swerve to the right and dodge the kick Flame Stag threw his way. Flame Stag quickly kicked off of the nearby wall and jumped between both of them to ascend to the top of the room before he dropped down and slammed his foot against the ground to create a few pillars of fire around his entire body.

X leaped back before he was consumed by the pillars of flame, and he aimed his arm cannon where he knew Flame Stag's hoses would be once he lifted up. With a little bit of accuracy, X manages to slice right through the right hose on Flame Stag's body, which makes blue flames erupt from it for a few seconds before they go down to red flames. Flame Stag turns around only to have his other hose cut through with a Sonic Slicer.

"U-Urgh!" Flame Stag groans as his two hoses flail about due to the flames being released from them, and it was only a matter of time before they went out entirely without a proper way of keeping them flowing through the body. X takes advantage of Flame Stag's surprise to switch back to his normal colors, prepare a charged shot, and then fire it right at the dent he created earlier on the Maverick's chest. The dent is broken through easily, with some of the crucial wire buried behind the armor being destroyed at the same time.

This immediately makes Flame Stag drop onto his knees, with electricity spewing from his innards uncontrollably he looked at X and said "Not just Bubble Crab…But Overdrive Ostrich as well…You can take on more than one Reploids' powers at a time. Hmm…I-I have no qualms with my defeat here…I can see why Sigma held you in such high regards, and I enjoyed our fight X…" X lowered his arm cannon as Flame Stag grimaced in visible pain from the damage in his body, and Flame Stag commented "It was a good life X…Trust me when I say I hold nothing against you for terminating Boomer Kuwanger, even though he was my friend…"

Flame Stag then closed his eyelids and let his body collapse on the ground, his flames dying out entirely as his eyes turned white to signify that his body had shutdown completely. X felt some pity towards Flame Stag for his decisions, and didn't say anything about him as he bent down and touched his body to acquire his power, which made his armor turn red briefly. He then lifts up and remarks to Alia as he lays a hand on his helmet "Mission Accomplished Alia, you can bring me back to base now." Alia didn't make any commentary this time around as she set things up so X could be brought back to the HQ right away, and now there were only three Mavericks left to go…

 _Next Time: Junkyard Rumble_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Congregation of the Fallen, Morph Moth**

With Flame Stag's demise out of the way, X once more returned to the HQ and got his body repaired after all of the burns the Maverick had inflicted on his armor. He then went back to Alia in the command center, where she found her watching a second computer screen that showed the room Dr. Doppler was currently working in alongside the holographic consciousness of Dr. Cain. She had a curious look on her face regarding what they were doing with Zero's parts until she heard X ask politely "What's up Alia?"

Alia immediately looked away from that computer and focused on the other one with the island the X-Hunters were occupying as she nonchalantly replied to X with "I'm just keeping track of the movements of the Mavericks." "Why do you have a monitor up for Dr. Doppler and Dr. Cain then?" X inquired as he laid a hand down on the back of Alia's chair and leaned forward to look at said monitor, and Alia replied while turning her head slightly to look at X "I'm just trying to keep an eye on them, Doppler specifically."

"How come?" X inquired, and Alia explained to him without revealing her true interests in this matter "These days today's friends can become tomorrow's enemies. How many Maverick Hunters have turned Maverick these days, X?" X pulls back a bit and remarks with a serious expression "I'd personally not think about that. What are you getting at Alia? Dr. Cain trusts Dr. Doppler, I think that'd be enough to not suspect him of being a Maverick."

"You know who else Dr. Cain trusted before he was blown up by missiles launched by said Maverick? Sigma." Alia commented on firmly, and X could only growl a little bit at that remark seeing that Alia was by all means right, but instead of choosing to linger on that issue for much longer Alia shut the monitor focusing on Doppler off and briefly said "I'm just suggesting a little caution X" before continuing on to mention "Now then, we should worry more about hunting down the last three Mavericks."

X nodded his head and remarked "Yes, that's probably not a bad idea. Who do we have left?" Alia commented as she typed away on the keyboard "As of now two of the Maverick haven't returned to their bases. The most important thing I can gather from this is that they are dealing with the heaviest duties for the X-Hunters, but until they can return to their bases we can't strike them down. The third Maverick, who is actually residing on the island's junkyard at the moment, is the one you should probably go after next."

"What's their name?" X inquired, and Alia immediately replied "Morph Moth. I'll tell you most of the details about him once you get to the junkyard, but the most important thing I can note right now is that he was last seen raiding some of the island's cities before returning to the junkyard." "Did he take anything important?" X inquired, and Alia shook her head and told him "Nothing at all actually. It seems he just attacked the ruins left behind by Wheel Gator's tank, but there were no causalities, nothing…"

"That's odd…Why would he not attack any Reploids or humans? I guess that's something I'll have to find out once I reach him…" X remarked while rubbing his chin a bit, while Alia typed the coordinates into the keyboard and remarked "Think about it as you go after him. I've got the teleporter set and ready to go X. Good luck out there." X nodded his head in thanks of Alia's good faith and then rushed for the teleportation devices, taking one of them out of the HQ and to Morph Moth's junkyard base in a flash of blue light as usual.

X was dropped on the outskirts of the junkyard as the sun had very nearly set all the way, making the sky have a dark red and pale shade to it. The beauty of the sunset was ruined by the smog coming out from multiple smokestacks in the area, all of which are currently connected to the trash burners deep in the facility. The junk laid far and wide across the ground in mountainous heaps, stretching until they reached the edge of the city Wheel Gator attacked in the distance.

X then laid a hand on his helmet and asked Alia "I've made it to the junkyard. What do you have on Morph Moth, Alia?" Alia replied quickly _"Morph Moth is another unknown Maverick just like Wire Sponge…It could mean that he was created by Sigma, but I have no way of determining that with the information available to us now. Anyways, the most important thing I can reveal to you about Morph Moth is that every time he's attacked a location, he's only kept his assault going for exactly one hour before vanishing out of sight."_

"That's a pretty specific amount of time…Wonder why he only goes for that long…" X pondered, and Alia theorized to him _"It's been suggested that Morph Moth retreats to junkyards after every attack he makes. Perhaps he recharges his energy by absorbing junk into his body."_ X remarked afterwards with slightly widened eyes "Then he has to be recharging at this very moment. This is the perfect opportunity to strike before he can reawaken."

" _Yeah, sounds about right. I guess I'll let you know right now that there's a Dr. Light capsule somewhere within this junkyard and let you handle everything from here on out unless I notice anything else."_ Alia shut off the communication line at that point, and X held his arm cannon before remarking "Beginning mission…" X then sprinted forward and leaped atop a nearby tank of gasoline that had been broken open, finding a few cranes lying around that suspended the corpses of broken Reploids in mid-air.

"So many lives lost and thrown to the junkyard…" X showed empathy towards the Reploid corpses as he paused in place, and as a slight act of generosity towards the corpses he shot at the wiring with quick and small shots so the corpses would be dropped to the ground. Once the Reploids were freed from their disrespectful positions X dropped from the gasoline tank and landed on the ground next to one of the corpses, but before he could sprint onward he felt something suddenly grab onto his right leg and jerk hard on it to keep him in place.

X looked down and saw that not only was one Reploid corpse grabbing onto his leg while it's broken eye glowed bright in an eerie manner, but the other two he had freed from the cranes were preparing to grab onto him as well. Realizing that these "corpses" were being reanimated to attack him, likely by either the X-Hunter leaders or Morph Moth, X knew he had to destroy them in order to prevent them from being mistreated like this.

Though it pained him to do so, X took his buster and shot at the heads of the corpses, breaking through them to destroy the remains of their control chips before they could start dragging him down into the piles of junk beneath his feet. Once the corpses were dispatched, X turned around and took a moment to sigh before running on ahead to the main junk disposal facility, which was being patrolled by a couple of those shield holding Reploids from Wheel Gator's tank, suggesting that they were told to guard this by the X-Hunters after their commander's defeat.

But their method of attack hadn't changed since then, and once they threw their shields out at X he used a quick charged shot at the center of ground between both of them to create an explosion big enough to blow both Reploids away and open the way to the entrance of the junk disposal facility beyond the smoke left from the impact zone. The facility was blanketed with darkness in the inside, showing that the place was currently inactive. But X could feel the parts of a thousand Reploids below his feet as he cautiously advanced, so he'd know exactly when he'd need to jump the moment his "toes" touched an elevation of parts.

After putting on his night vision, X looked around and saw some more Reploid corpses being hung from the magnetized ceiling. The magnetic force was very weak and didn't even come close to reaching X, but he didn't want to risk the possibility of it turning on while he was in there. However, he only moved a couple feet forward before he suddenly felt something powerful pulling on his body, the area's air becoming distorted with a strong magnetic pulse that forced X to barely be able to grit his teeth as he struggled to hold himself on the ground with the magnetic energy from his boots.

He lifted his head up and watched as the parts on the ground began to be pulled up towards the ceiling, with the Reploid corpses' lower bodies being lifted up against the magnetic surface while their eyes brightened all at once, filling the green sight X was experiencing with a rather eerie red glow from multiple locations before they began to fire shots down at X. For once X was forced to take some of the attacks from his enemies since the magnetic pull forced him to trudge slowly through the junk.

But as corpses, they could not use their full energy reserves to hurt him, so while X was damaged by the shots he knew it would only effect him slightly in the long run. He tried to destroy as much of the corpses as he could though with his arm cannon, just to be safe though. Once X pushed through enough of the junk he ended up climbing onto a ledge away from it all. The magnetic pull was not as strong there, but X still had to keep his boots magnetized to avoid being pulled up towards the ceiling. He catches his breath for a moment and surveys the area around him, noticing that he was halfway past the magnetic ceiling.

He kept pressing onward for a few feet until he touched his foot against the ground and heard a slight echo coming from below him. "Huh?" X pondered in a puzzled tone before he tapped his foot against the ground to make sure he wasn't hearing things, but the echo repeated each time he did so. Feeling he was right to assume there was something underneath the floor, X leaped back a couple inches and then held his arm cannon out while switching to Wheel Gator's power.

He used the Spin Wheel to dig through the ground below him, grinding it apart until it reached the tunnel buried underneath it and then continued forth for a few more feet before vanishing. X then dropped down into the tunnel by sliding against the wall, finding that the magnetic force quickly died down as he went further away from it. Once he was at the bottom of the passage, X landed atop a slant of discarded parts and walked forward, vaulting over a small stone-metal wall to find himself face to face with another Dr. Light capsule.

Approaching the capsule, X shuts off his night vision temporarily as the capsule opens up and the holographic visage of Dr. Light illuminates this secluded room. Dr. Light's hologram was smiling a bit as he remarked to X _"Well-done on finding yet another of my capsules, X. You've already come a long way since the first one, and I couldn't be prouder of you for getting to this one."_ X remarked quietly "Dr. Light, what's one of your capsules doing in a junkyard?"

" _I can't say I know for certain why, X. I placed these capsules around the world ages ago…More than likely they were moved around by someone, and in this case they thought this capsule was nothing more than junk. It only makes sense though…This capsule has a rather particular sensor to it, meaning most people on the planet cannot activate it. At least these capsules are very durable, and can survive years of wear and tear."_ After Dr. Light details the answer to X's question, he remarks _"But enough rambling X. I know you did not come here to hear me do that. This capsule contains the body armor parts. With it, your resistances will increase tenfold, and it will allow you to activate the 'Giga Crush' technique…But only once X, so use it wisely."_

"I will. Thank you Dr. Light…Also, I'd like to thank you for what you said to me about controlling my emotions. I-I don't know what I would've done to Wheel Gator or the Mavericks afterwards had you not calmed me down" X remarked in an appreciative tone, and Dr. Light smiled and told him _"I'm glad to hear that. I just do not want for you to succumb to rage and become the very thing you are trying to stop, X…I think that is all I need to say for now on the subject. I'll let you take the Body parts and continue your mission."_

The hologram disappears then and there, allowing X to hop into the capsule and acquire the body parts after being consumed by yet another influx of data. By the time the data flow was over with, X found himself wearing a set of white and blue body armor with broadened shoulders and straps with green lights placed over said shoulders. X felt a little more powerful upon getting the body armor, something he hadn't really experienced with the other two upgrades, and he stepped off of the capsule a moment later while Dr. Light's hologram appears one more time to say to X _"You've made me very proud to call you my son…I hope you continue working towards a better future for humans and Reploids, Meg-…I mean, X."_

Dr. Light stopped himself from saying something rather quickly, and then finished being proud of X after disappearing from view. X didn't pick up on the comment and merely said "Thanks Dr. Light…" before turning around and making his way out of this secluded room, climbing up the walls and returning to the magnetized zone from before. But he's very surprised when his body is suddenly covered by a light aura that manages to reject the magnetic pull from the ceiling. The effects of the body part now demonstrated to him, X sprints through the remainder of the magnetic zone and uses his arm cannon to deal with any reanimated corpses that get in his way.

X then looks to the left and sees some machines pulling various piles of junk from the ground and dragging them higher up into the building, leading X to assume that they were being brought to Morph Moth. But the conveyor belts were too far away for X to target accurately, so he decided to ignore them for now and instead focus on getting to Morph Moth before he could be fueled by all this junk. After a short climb up the ramp in front of him, X leaps up to a higher ledge and performs a quick slide to knock a shielding Reploid off the ground, using his arm cannon to pierce through the Reploid's chest and destroy it.

X then got onto his feet and leaped onto the nearby ladder, climbing it up so he could get to the next ledge. Now the conveyor belts were obscured behind a wall of wired green metal, all of which looked to have been built recently. X then ran for the edge of the ledge and leaped outward, using his air dash to land on a higher ledge on the other side before turning around and going for another run so he could make it to the last ledge he needed to get onto in order to advance.

But upon doing so X encountered an armored wheel Reploid with the broke head of a construction Reploid on top of it that was capable of firing shots at X. But X tanked the shots without flinching and switched to Wheel Gator's colors, throwing a Spin Wheel from his left hand that allows him to slice right through the wheeled Reploid with ease, all the whole not at all stopping his advance until the Reploid blew up, at which point X ran while holding both of his arms out slightly, leaping right over a small metallic ledge and landing down on a surprisingly vacant hallway that he advances through until he reaches an oddly compressed room.

Inside this room were three large glass capsules that had all been broken through, and there was little light in this part of the facility. But even so, X didn't see any signs of mechanical life within the room, and as such put this room in the back of his mind for now as he nevertheless cautiously advanced forward, finding three more broken through capsules that surged with electricity to suggest that whatever was in them had just recently broken out.

"Just what are the X-Hunters working on in here…?" X quietly inquired before he turned to the right away from the capsules and saw a ladder sticking up slightly out of the ground. Instead of taking the ladder down normally, X decided to leap down the hole it was attached to so he could get to the bottom faster, suspecting that if he took it slow he'd be attacked by other enemies. At the same time, he stuck close to the ladder so he could cling onto it in case there were any spikes waiting for him.

He makes it to the bottom of the ladder and looks on ahead, finding another magnetic ceiling up ahead along with some platforms with spikes underneath them. X quickly leaps across the platforms while landing on some rising pieces of junk in-between them, shooting down dragonflys that were patrolling the air until he gets off of the platforms and descends towards the ladder. He grabs one of the rungs of it and climbs down to the next floor.

X then runs forward through another magnetized corridor, going through all of the Reploids that were in his way with simple shots from his arm cannon, weaving around the junk that was rising up off the ground until he climbed a few steps and made it to yet another ladder. Descending to the next floor, X was surprised how easy things were, though he chalked it up to all of the armor parts along with the fact that he was just simply getting used to all of the X-Hunters' tricks with time.

After crossing another hallway, X lands inside of a small room similar to the one where the broken capsules were at, and the way beyond was blocked off by a disabled Reploid made entirely out of various pieces of junk. The Reploid had an antenna on it's back and a lack of a frontal plate. X raised his arm cannon up and prepared to destroy it with a charged shot, but then the machine suddenly lifted himself up and began to slowly walk towards X like a lumbering zombie.

For something this big, X suspected that there had to be something inside of the Reploid to keep it moving. He wasn't be frightened at all by the machine and quickly fires the charged shot at the upper part of the Reploid's body, blowing right through it and revealing an odd spider-like machine inside of the Reploid with some wings on it's back. The creature flies out of the big Reploid and then flies off towards the hallway ahead, and X quickly pursues it while commenting "Why was that thing inside of that Reploid?"

After following the winged machine through the hallways of the facility for a little bit, X goes through some sliding steel doors and watches as the winged spider flies up into the ceiling, which composed entirely of compressed pieces of junk. Once the spider crawled into the ceiling, something began to quiver in the center of it all, and in mere seconds a cocoon drops from the ceiling suspended by a string coming from the top of it's head. The cocoon had closed eyelids and wires connected from the cocoon to the head.

The cocoon didn't say anything, and X immediately locked his arm cannon onto it and thought to himself _"He's still regaining his strength. I have to take care of him right here and now."_ X switched to the colors for Flame Stag's power and fires off his two-fireballs Speed Burner attack from the arm cannon, hoping to roast Morph Moth in a single attack before he could break free from the cocoon. Sure enough the cocoon was quickly set on fire from the attack, and the eyes widen open instantly as a reaction.

Some muffled sound comes from within the cocoon, but then it starts violently swinging itself back and forth against the ceiling, hitting it hard enough to shake the room and make the junk break off very quickly. X had to move himself around to avoid getting hit by the junk, and eventually even the walls of the room crumble apart to reveal the outdoors, where a few mountains of junk existed with smoke stacks placed in the center of them. Morph Moth's cocoon had vanished from sight during the downfall of junk that X was now standing atop of as the floor, and this worried him just a little bit.

After waiting a little bit X looked up and saw some golden dust sprinkling down from the sky, and he quickly noticed the one creating the dust descending from above. It was Morph Moth, who lived up to his namesake by having a pair of gigantic metallic yellow wings with fans on them to help him achieve flight and produce dust. He had fuzzy antennae and yellow capped shoulders, and an otherwise ivory metallic body. Through a small curl up iron tongue, Morph Moth remarked to X in an elegant, masculine tone "Grrr…You awoke me from my sleep with a crude blast of fire!"

"Morph Moth, what are you doing here?" X inquired while keeping his arm cannon held at the Maverick, and Morph Moth levitated above the ground while holding his right hand against his face, shaking his head slightly and stating "Tsk tsk tsk…Now wouldn't you like to know?" "Talk!" X demanded to know the answer with a bit of anger in his voice, and Morph Moth flinched a bit before telling him "Such a fiery temper. I suppose Flame Stag's power is affecting you a bit….Fine, if you must know, I was just resting up my power after attacking that nearby city."

"Why? You didn't even attack anyone!" X exclaimed, and Morph Moth held his right hand forward and wiggled his fingers around while explaining "So you would've preferred I stained my hands with human blood and Reploid oil? Quite contradictory for a Maverick Hunter to say…I find it to be quite barbaric to ravage Reploids and humans, personally. It's much more enjoyable to be surrounded by their inactive remains. Ah…The peace of a junkyard sleep, a delight so few can truly know."

"Don't worry, you'll be sleeping permanently soon enough." X commented on as he lifted his arm cannon up, and Morph Moth shook his head again and said "Tsk tsk, you're in such a rush to kill me X. Don't you find it interesting how the X-Hunters have managed to reanimate the corpses of Reploids? Now, even after death, the Reploids can still serve a purpose while maintaining the beauty of their ruined bodies."

"That's horrible! They should be allowed to rest peacefully. What you're supporting is wrong, Morph Moth!" X stated while clenching his arm cannon tightly, and Morph Moth mentioned afterwards "Can my actions really be considered 'wrong', Maverick Hunter? I was born for the purpose I fulfill, I've never known what it's like to be considered a 'normal' Reploid in your eyes. And besides, can you really say it's wrong for us to allow Reploids a second chance to do something when otherwise they'd just rot away in these junkyards waiting for the day when they MIGHT be used as spare parts?"

"I get what you're saying Morph Moth. Overdrive Ostrich proves that some Reploids are mistreated and cast aside…But you're not just using those types of Reploids for your sick experiments. Your actions can't fully be justified because of that!" X stated, thrusting his arm cannon forward as Morph Moth's antennae twitched and he remarked bitterly "Hmph, you're not going to understand the beauty of being a piece of junk until you become one yourself. I hope you like what you see X, because this shall be your graveyard!"

Morph Moth then flaps his wings a couple times and takes off right as X tries to fire a Speed Burner at him. Morph Moth then swings his hands down and fires a destructive rainbow colored beam down at X. X gets hit by the beam and is knocked back a couple feet, but barely felt any damage to his body thanks to the armor upgrades he received. Morph Moth noticed this and said as he kept to the air "Well now this is problematic…I wasn't told of these defensive capabilities…"

X didn't listen in to what Morph Moth said as he leaped back and landed on the wall, jumping off of it and attempting to pull off a close-ranged Speed Burner, but the Maverick quickly flew up and watched as X performed a flip and landed on his feet while the flames burned through the wall on the other side. Morph Moth then swung his hands down and fired off another energy beam that strikes X right in the back, but only makes him flinch slightly before he turns around and quickly fires off another Speed Burner.

Morph Moth once more had little difficulty getting out of the way of the attack, and then he wiggled his right pointer finger around while stating "Ah ah ah X…Play with fire and you'll just get CRUSHED!" He then gestured said pointer finger at the ground and made the junk start to rumble under X's feet, in a matter of seconds making it rise up and start to wrap itself around his body like a sphere. But X quickly shifted to Wheel Gator's colors and threw a Spin Wheel at the junk in front of him, making it grind through it all and open a body enough passage for X to leap through.

Once X was out of the junk sphere he switched back to his normal colors and aimed both of his arm cannons up while kneeling on the ground, charging up energy until he could fire two shots right at Morph Moth. The Maverick widens his eyes and releases his grip on the junk before trying to fly out of the way of X's charged shots, only for one of them to burn through part of his right wing and thus destabilize his flight a bit. Morph Moth dropped a few inches from the sky and immediately pulled his right arm back, thrusting it out to fire another beam at X.

X leaps over the beam and goes for the wall, leaping off of it and switching to Overdrive Ostrich's colors so he can fire a couple of Sonic Slicers at Morph Moth's wings in hopes of continuing to limit his flight. But the Maverick swerved around them easily, going straight for X and grabbing him out of the air by wrapping his right hand around the robot's neck. Morph Moth then threw X towards the ground as X gasped momentarily, stating as he watched X land on his feet "You truly are an example of what Reploids can become, X. It will be so beautiful to see a day when Reploids can evolve to greater heights like I am capable of."

X lifts himself upright and glares up at Morph Moth, who was in the middle of raising his right hand up to snap his fingers while declaring "But for that to happen, outdated models such as you need to be put away!" The junk spread across the ground starts to rise up below X's feet, and as he leaps away from them Morph Moth throws his right hand out and fills all the pieces of junk with energy from his hands, hoping to detonate them to take X out while he was on the ground.

But X quickly switched to Flame Stag's colors again and began to climb the junk with quick movements, charging up the energy as he climbs while Morph Moth remarked "Oh please…You will never hit me with those dullard flames of-" X uses the charge from his Speed Burner to do something completely unexpected from Morph Moth's perspective as he surrounded his whole body with a comet-like aura of fire and launched himself right at the Maverick at high-speed.

X slams right into Morph Moth's body and not only launches him right into the wall behind him but sets his entire body on fire, the Maverick being so consumed by flames that one could barely make out his body behind them all. X lands on the ground as the energy drops from all the junk Morph Moth brought up, and they all fall to the ground just a few seconds later. The Maverick then falls from the wall and lands on his stomach, his body incredibly singed as his wings had melted down and his antennae had been lost.

Morph Moth slowly lifted his head up, looking at X for a few seconds before he suddenly started alternating between laughing and coughing, leading X to inquire "What's so funny?" Morph Moth then stated calmly "Hahah…My elegance may die here X…But you've lost as well…" X widened his eyes for a moment and locked his arm cannon onto the Maverick, but Morph Moth told him "I take a great deal of honor in the fact that I was able to distract you long enough…For Master Serges to initiate his plan…"

"What? What is Serges planning?!" X demanded to know, and Morph Moth laughed and stated "You'll find out…soon enough X…What a glorious demise this shall be…Knowing that your fate is sealed…Maverick Hunters…" Morph Moth then raised a hand to the moonlit sky and sighed happily before promptly exploding, his head behind flung right at X, allowing him a chance to grab onto it and use his copy power for Morph Moth's ability. His armor switches to orange and green for a little bit before he reverts to his normal colors and tosses Morph Moth's head away so he can get his hand on his helmet with a concerned look on his face.

"Alia? Are you noticing anything on the island?!" X inquired quickly, and Alia responded just as fast _"Morph Moth's right! A signal's being sent out from the computer compound on the island. This is looking really bad X…I need to get you back here immediately to brief you on the situation!"_ Alia wasted no time in getting things setup so X is teleported back to the HQ. But little did they know that this entire time X had been observed on a monitor from another location…

In a secluded metallic room with little lighting, the stout Serges stood hunched over the monitor as he saw X teleport away from the air. He had his arms folded into his coat as usual, but a happy look on his face as he lifted his head up to look at an orb containing Zero's head. With a smile as wide as he could make it, Serges murmured "I'm waiting for you blue boy…Waiting for you to come and visit a couple of old friends of yours…Hehehe."

 _Next Time: The Last Part_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Master of Magnets, Magna Centipede**

Though X had successfully taken out Morph Moth, he was left with a grim warning of events to come by the Maverick, events that he would quickly find more about as he returned to the HQ and quickly ran to the central command center to check up on the situation with Alia, who called him at the end of the mission in an uncharacteristically concerned tone. The sirens were blaring inside the room as X entered, and he ran right towards Alia's computer without hitting a single one of the panicking Reploids.

Alia was busy looking at a monitor of the map of the island, but now the Maverick mug shots had been taken away and replaced with some slowly expanding sonar waves. X quickly inquired as he looked at the map in shock "Alia, what's the status report?!" Alia was trying to keep herself calm compared to everyone else, but nevertheless did not soften the news for X as she told him "The X-Hunters have activated some high-level energy signal across the entire island. I don't know how, but the Reploids within the range of the waves have started to go Maverick."

"What? Every last one of them?" X said while his face was frozen briefly in surprise, and though hesitant to do so Alia popped up another computer screen and revealed a group of once innocent Reploids in the city X saved from Wheel Gator's tank were now rampaging across the ruins of the city, going after humans who were trying desperately to flee. Alia shut off the screen right before one of those Reploids shot a hole through one of the fleeing humans, but the implication of that sight was enough to make X quiver in disbelief.

"H-How are they doing this?" X stuttered out in hopes of getting an answer, and thankfully for him and all of the Reploids who had not yet been put within the range of the energy waves Alia quickly said "Unfortunately, it appears to be Magna Centipede's doing…" X widened his eyes in a curious but worried manner, folding his arms together before remarking "Magna Centipede? …Isn't he one of the most powerful Maverick Hunters? I heard he went MIA months ago around the time of Sigma's rebellion, but hasn't been seen since…"

"…" X didn't take long to put the pieces together, and with a melancholic tone of voice he quietly remarked while hanging his arms low "So even he went Maverick…But why…? He was very dedicated to his job, almost as much as Storm Eagle was…" Alia shook her head and said "I don't know X, but you can't worry about that now. These waves are going to turn all the Reploids and Maverick Hunters on the island into Mavericks unless you get right into the computer base Magna Centipede is running and shut the system down."

"Is Magna Centipede the only one there? Morph Moth said something about the last X-Hunter commander Serges organizing this distraction…" X commented on, and Alia remarked "I have no idea X. I'm not getting any other signals in the computer base. Either Serges is somehow blocking my readings, or he's operating from another location…You can't worry about him right now though X. Every second counts in this case, cause until you can take down Magna Centipede, we can't send in any unaffected Maverick Hunters to quell the situation."

"I'm not hesitating here Alia…I just want to have all my facts straight before I go into enemy territory. If the X-Hunters are this desperate, this facility has to be more heavily guarded than any of the others I've gone too so far." X commented, and Alia nodded her head and remarked "I agree with your concern X…But the computer facility is already heavily protected by motion-sensor defenses and turrets that very few other places have, so I imagine the X-Hunters are willing to put their faith into those defenses to either stop or stall you while their waves continue to make more Reploids go Maverick."

"Then I'll just have to act quickly and without hesitation. Setup the coordinates Alia, I'm going in." X said confidently, turning back around to make a run for the teleporter room as Alia does exactly as X wanted, remarking in a somewhat worried tone "Be careful X…" X made it into the teleporter room and was sent off to the computer facility via a beam of light. In a matter of seconds, X was dropped off into a very well-lit room with cybernetic walls and floors and a gigantic holographic projector showing off an aquamarine hologram of the planet suspended in mid-air, and X assumed that it had just been recently activated.

Caring not about the projection, X gripped his right arm cannon for a moment and then sprinted forward across the floor until he had to leap up onto a slightly higher elevation. There was a patrol drone with protective plating in the way of X's path, but as it spread the plating apart to reveal it's eye cannon X charged up energy in his own and fired it point blank into the drone to destroy it and then continue moving on without pause. He caught the attention of another drone up ahead, but this time charged up a shot from afar to destroy it before leaping onto the floor it was floating over and running past the smoke and broken parts left from it's demise.

But as X drops down into a more vast hallway, he is suddenly caught in a ray of yellow light coming from an unknown location, which sets off the alarms in the entire facility and makes the atmosphere take on an ominous shade of bright red light as X looks around for a moment and sees a steel block fall down from above his current location. This cybernetic block lands on the ground and immediately crumples down, revealing a small antennae that fires a powerful but small electrical ball straight at X.

As X dodges the electrical ball by leaping as far to the right as he could, the sirens proclaim throughout the facility "EMERGENCY ALERT! EMERGENCY ALERT! Prepare to repel intruder…Repeat…" The warning is repeated exactly one time over before it stops, and by that time X has fired off a charged shot at the block that was firing his way. But even with the full might of his charged shot the block didn't even get dented, making X quickly realize that it would be a waste of time to take down the defense system.

X thus turned around and began to sprint further into the facility, but security made every effort possible to slow X down while he advanced. More drones were sent in to prevent X from jumping over platforms, more blocks were dropped down to pincer in X's movements on the ground while he shot down the drones with charged shots, and at one point X was caught off-guard when the floor gave way below his feet in an instant, forcing him to grip onto the edge of the floor in front of him with one hand while switching to Overdrive Ostrich's colors and using the Sonic Slicer with his free arm cannon to slice through any drones while he pulled himself back up.

Once back on solid ground, X sprinted forward and leaped up onto a platform suspended in place in mid-air by a thin metal plate, using this moment to briefly gauge his next move. There were a few blocks spread out across the ground, but X noticed that the crumpled up blocks were more vulnerable to attacks from above due to their cybernetics being exposed around the antennas. X was about ready to leap from the platform and strike the cybernetics while the blocks didn't seem to notice him, but all of a sudden a turret dropped down from the ceiling behind him and rapid-fired a string of bullets into the back of X's armor.

X was only aware of the turret's presence when the turret began to whir to life, but being aware of it's presence only allowed him to quickly get off of the platform before he took too much damage from the backside. His armor was buffeted with the bullets enough as he leaped backwards to put some visible holes within the surface, but they did not reach deep enough to actually touch his body. Considering the efforts Morph Moth put into harming his armor did nothing, X was surprised that the bullets from the turrets were able to do that much damage and quickly learned to exercise a little more caution in this facility.

Turning around immediately after that lesson, X watches as the three blocks he saw earlier fire upon him, but X had just enough time to leap over them while switching to Bubble Crab's colors, using the Bubble Spread to hit all of the cybernetics within the blocks at the same time and short-circuit them to the point that they explode once X performs a mid-air flip and lands safely on the ground away from them. Moving forward, X sees a passageway to the next part of the facility at the top of a high wall, but ends up running into the next obstacle right away as a large cybernetic block drops down from the ceiling and slides along the ground in front of X to fit perfectly into the divot a few feet away.

X pauses for a moment as a block slides out of the passage and drops down beside the other one, followed by two falling from the ceiling in rapid succession. X leaps atop these blocks while looking up to make sure another one wasn't on the way, and thankfully only a violet colored block drops down in front of him. The blocks were clearly there in an attempt to crush X, but so long as he paid attention to the environment they wouldn't get the drop on him anytime soon. X leaped atop the violet block and goes into the passage, but finds another block in his way.

X cautiously approached the block, but his presence caused it to slide forward out of the passage and drop down into another divot. X waited patiently for the remainder of the blocks to drop into the divot, but unfortunately found his path blocked by two violet blocks because of that. Though he didn't dismay, as a part of him felt that he'd be able to break through this type of block with a charged shot. And if that didn't work, he'd use Wheel Gator's power.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to waste much time as his charged shot broke through both blocks with relative ease and allowed him to just leap across the remaining blocks to make it to the next part of this defense system. This time a block drops from the ceiling and then tries to ram X right into the ledge behind him, but X leaps over that and accidentally goes over another block as well, allowing him to making a run into the passage.

A violet block rapidly rams itself towards X, forcing him to quickly use both of his arm cannons to rapid-fire shots into the block to destroy it and allow him to continue forward unimpeded for just a few more seconds. A block suddenly drops into a hole to seal it up, but as X steps on top of it another block and a violet one both drop down from hidden pockets in the ceiling and try to slam X between them. X leaps over them in the nick of time and moves forward, making a quick leap over the pit to make it to the other side before more blocks got in his way.

After some more sprinting, X notices that no more blocks were getting in his way, leading him to take up a more cautious pose as he advanced into a secluded room with another one of those projectors set up to the left. The way ahead was suddenly sealed off by a sliding steel door, and the projector activated in a matter of seconds. The projector creates a wireframe representation of a standard sword and makes it flail around a bit before it floats in front of X.

The sword then flails up and down a little before spinning violently in circles for some reason, confusing X as he stood back a bit to avoid getting cut by the tip. X charged up his arm cannon, but instead of deciding to target the sword he realized that going for the computer keeping the sword projected would be a better move. However, after spinning around for a few seconds the sword suddenly flies at X while lined up with the ground, forcing him to leap over the sword before he's impaled.

But the erratic sword quickly turns around and manages to cut X across his arm cannon, digging past the metal and touching just one wire within. X grunts a bit in pain before he lands on the ground and quickly fires the charged shot at the computer, making a direct hit onto the control panel to blow it up and make the wireframe sword break apart as it tried to go for another thrust towards X.

The steel door slides open, but as X turns around he lays a hand atop the scar on his arm cannon and realizes that between this and the turret shot holes on his back he needed to be more careful since his armor does not make him invincible. With him having no idea how far he has to go to reach Magna Centipede's location, X took a deep breath and regained his focus before exiting the room and going towards a large shaft down into the deeper parts of the facility.

While falling down the shaft, X had to shoot his arm cannon at some two-legged spiked drones and aerial drones, alternating between walls to descend and leap his way down, his final time of descent ending off at around thirty seconds. Once on the ground, X moves forward just a little bit more and watches as the alarms suddenly shut off, the atmosphere returning completely back to normal much to X's surprise. But his attention and shock would then be focused on something else entirely as he looks at a wall of monitors in a wide-open room up ahead and sees some blueprints being displayed on a couple of the monitors.

But they weren't just any blueprints…As X soon saw, those blueprints belonged to him. "W-What? Why are MY blueprints on these monitors? If this is an X-Hunter base…Shouldn't it be Zero's blueprints they are looking over?" _"An excellent question, Maverick Hunter X…One that you will not find any answers for from me."_ A familiar voices calls down to X, and all of a sudden the monitors containing X's blueprints along with all the rest activate and reveal a close-up of Serges' robotic face on all of them.

X turns to look at the monitors, with X exclaiming "Serges…So you are here! What is the meaning of this?!" Serges rubbed his metallic mustache and remarked "What is the meaning of this, you say? Tell me…Are you referring to the energy wave turning Reploids into Mavericks, or the blueprints of you that I just so happened to be displaying at the moment of your arrival? You only get to question one of those, X." With that ultimatum given as the X-Hunter laughs, X raised his arm cannon up and stated "What are you doing here?!"

"Ohohoh…You chose a third question. Hehehe…If you want to know so badly…" Serges lifts his hand away from his face and snaps his fingers, and all of a sudden a series of metallic drop bulge out of the ceiling and solidify into blocks that would certainly squish X if he did not get out of the way, all the while Serges laughs and says "Then come and see me! Hehehe!" Serges' voice echoes through the monitors as he watches X make a mad sprint across the floor towards the passage at the very bottom of the room.

X couldn't make it to the higher passage in time, but it was clear that he was never intended to go that route once he fell into Serges trap. X performed a slide along the floor to make it into the passage ahead right as he was about to get crushed. He then sprung onto his feet and looked back, seeing that the way was sealed off. There was no turning back, but if this detour meant what he thought it did then he wasn't wasting time for no reason. Walking forward, X entered through a sliding door and entered a solitary room.

Inside he found Serges hunched over in front of a series of computer screens, a couple of them showing blueprints for X while the rest showed blueprints for Zero. Before the large central monitor was a sphere containing the last of Zero's parts, his head. The recreated head had it's eyelids shut, but other than that it looked perfect. Upon sensing X's presence in the room, Serges shut off all the monitors and summoned forth a mechanical claw from the ground to pluck Zero's head from the air and pull it into the ground for safekeeping as the robotic man turned around and looked at X, his body still wrapped up in a cape.

"Hehehe…Of course you survived my trap, X." Serges remarked, leading to X quickly raising his arm cannon up and stating "What's going on here Serges? Start talking!" Serges pulls a hand from his cape and rubs his chin, remarking in a humored tone "Demanding answers while pointing a weapon at me…I suppose that trait was never meant to be taken away between generations…"

"I said, start talking!" X exclaimed again, being one second away from charging up energy in his cannon before Serges said to him "You are in no position to be demanding answers from me, X. Now put that arm cannon down before you blast into the floor and destroy Zero's head. You wouldn't want that now, would you?" X had to listen to the point Serges brought up as much as he didn't like to do so, and Serges grins at that obedience before stating "Good little robot…"

"So…You want to know what I want from you, is that it? It's not so much what I want, but rather what you want from me…You want the last of Zero's parts, do you not?" Serges states with a sly tone of voice, and X remarks calmly "Not just that, I want to stop whatever it is you're doing with the computer facility to make Reploids go Maverick." "Hehehe…Ah yes, I suppose I'd be foolish to ignore that little detail. It's such a fascinating move, isn't it? While you were busy dealing with the other Mavericks, I prepared the satellite dish to transmit a signal that would turn Reploids into Maverick with ease. I bet you're just itching to know how we pulled that off, aren't you?" Serges said, trying to play into X's inner curiosity.

But it worked to no avail, as X was more focused on stopping the situation than learning more about it, and said to Serges "I don't care about that. I'm going to put an end to it." Serges raised his metallic eyebrows in intrigue and remarked to X "Well in order to do that, you're going to have to destroy Magna Centipede, since we programmed him to run the facility. But you can't even make it to him without first getting past me, X. But that shouldn't be too difficult for you in the end, and you'll get Zero's last part at the end of it all."

"Hrrmmm…" X grumbled internally, leading to Serges remarking "It's quite funny how much of an effort you've put into piecing Zero back together. I suppose you Maverick Hunters need his help to survive, since at the end of the day Zero is far superior to you, X." X remarked in response to that while sounding a bit offended "That's not why I'm trying to save Zero."

"So you claim. It's a shame really…In the end, Dr. Light's last creation cannot bring himself to admit that there is a robot superior to him. Such a thing was always his fatal flaw…His inability to admit his inferiority being transplanted into whatever robots he created." Serges' words struck a sudden cord in X's robotic heart, specifically the mention of that one name that he'd never expect to hear from anyone else. "W-What? How do you know Dr. Light?" X stated, and immediately Serges' robotic mouth curled into a tiny grin.

"Interesting…So Light did not put any information of me inside of your mind. Lets just say that I am an 'old friend' of the doctor who has transcended death. Hehehe, but don't bother asking your little assistant Reploid to look up information on me. I've already wiped all known data from history of both myself and Dr. Light off the databanks of the internet." Serges commented, and X bluntly inquired while gripping his left hand tightly "Fine then, I'll just ask the other two X-Hunters about you then."

"Hehehe…You really think they know who I am? Oh poor X…You look so flustered by what I've just told you. He would always look at me just like that as well. I must admit, it makes me feel quite nostalgic…" Serges then snapped his fingers and caused the computer screens to disappear as the wall flips around to hide them away. He then performs a short leap and lands on top of a platform with a spiky underside as two spiked balls levitate around him. With another grin, Serges remarks "It's been a long time since we've had some fun like this, blue boy. Show me a little more of what Dr. Light has made you capable of doing."

X immediately starts off by firing a charged shot at Serges, but he uses a spiked ball to intercept the attack and let the spiked ball blow up from the impact. A couple spikes are launched from the ball at X, and they pierce right through X's leg armor easily. After grunting a bit in pain, X switches to Wheel Gator's colors and fires a Spin Wheel right through the air at Serges through the smoke, but the man swerves to the side to avoid it while remarking "Fascinating…You can copy abilities just like him…But you seem to get more powerful weapons than he ever did."

Serges then performs a backflip to avoid another Spin Wheel while opening the top of his hat to send out a multitude of golden shots at X in a stream. X leaps to the left and dodges the attacks while switching over to Overdrive Ostrich's colors, firing two quick Sonic Slicer shots at Serges, predicting where he was going to land so he'd get a guaranteed hit. But Serges moved his body to the right immediately after landing so the attack only cut through his cape slightly.

"A hundred something years have passed, and nothing has really changed…Someone points you at the enemy, and you attack them without question. Tell me X, how many Mavericks have you killed since becoming a hunter?" Serges calmly inquired while X fired another Sonic Slicer his way, this time Serges throwing a spiked ball out retaliation as the attack cut through another part of his cape. X widened his eyes a bit in frustration at the man's question before he ran forward, getting close to Serges' platform and switching to Flame Stag's colors.

X fired two Speed Burners at the platform in rapid succession in hopes of overheating it, but it only served to get Serges to once again leap off of the platform and fire another stream of shots at X from his hat. X leaps back and stops firing Speed Burners, leading to Serges then summoning forth two more spiked balls from pockets in the ground to protect himself. Minus the attack from his hat, X noted that Serges was not launching much of an offensive on his own, instead relying on his machines to do the dirty work for him.

X had to destroy the platform because of that, and with the platform still suffering from some degree of heat on the bottom X quickly switched over to Bubble Crab's colors and fired off a Bubble Stream at the bottom of the platform to make it cool down at such a rapid pace that it broke down the metal into a blackened mess quickly. Serges commands one of the spiked balls to fly at X, but he sideflips to the right to avoid it while preparing a charged shot in both of his arm cannons, holding one of them behind his back so Serges wouldn't notice.

As X fired one of the charged shots at Serges' platform, Serges sent his other spiked ball out to protect himself, only for X to thrust his other arm cannon out to send another charged shot past the spikes and smoke to hit Serges' platform square on. The weakened metal is busted through like paper, and X annihilates the core of the platform with his attack, rendering it completely unable to maintain levitation. The remainder of the platform drops to the ground, and Serges raised an eyebrow and remarked nonchalantly "Well well…That's a new trick…"

Serges leaps up and lets the floor open up with a snap of his fingers, landing on the ground as it seals back up and putting his arm back into his cape as X locked his arm cannon towards him. "Hehehe…Yep, that certainly brought back some old memories, blue boy…And once more you have your arm cannon locked on me as though you actually think you have what it takes to put an end to my 'meance'." X didn't shoot though, and with a minor grimace he said "Just who are you really, Serges?"

"It's as I said…I am an 'old friend' of yours. Perhaps it's not me you should be asking that question towards though, X. Or perhaps I should just drop the formalities and call you by your full name…Mega Man X." Serges said, and X flinched for a moment and said "M-Mega Man?" in a confused stutter, followed by Serges remarking "Looks like you have a lot of questions you're going to have to ask Dr. Light…But I bet you all the bolts in the world that he will brush them all off. Hehehe, you still have a mission to complete here X, so go ahead…Take Zero's head and use the teleporter I'll leave behind to go to Magna Centipede's location. I didn't need to look over Zero's parts for long, since I am quite familiar with them."

Serges snaps his fingers again and makes Zero's protected head pop-up from the ground, simultaneously starting the process of warping himself out of his room as he leaves X with a smile and a remark of "I shall see you again soon, last remnant of Dr. Light's legacy…" Serges vanished from sight, and X was left wondering what left him to hesitate in pulling the trigger to take down the enigmatic X-Hunter. His body shook unnaturally now that Serges was gone, and seeing the last of Zero's parts on the ground in front of him was barely a comfort considering what Serges had said.

"…I-I don't know what to think about all of that…Urrrk…" X whispered as he raised a hand to his helmet and remarked "Alia, I'm sorry I've detoured from the mission, but…but I encountered the last of the X-Hunters and got Zero's head back. You can pick it up whenever, I'm going to get back to the mission." _"X, you sound tired…Are you ok?"_ Alia remarked in a concerned tone.

X shook his head and then said "It's ok Alia. I-I'm just glad to know that Zero is going to be put back together now." X quickly signed off before Alia could inquire further, and he then stepped onto the warp panel Serges left behind to be sent out of this room. After a brief jump through the facility, X is dropped into a secluded room at what appeared to be the core of the facility, considering there was a large, very durable looking motherboard sealed behind an equally strong glass wall. The motherboard pulsated energy through the walls at an equal rate to the waves being sent through the satellite dish.

It didn't take very long for X to look up and watch as a plate in the ceiling slide away, allowing X's target to descend from above. It was a Reploid with four arms crossed in front of his narrow segmented chest, each arm having pinkish yellow gauntlet and five-fingers hands. The Reploids head was shaped like a centipede's own, with two pincers beside it's closed plated mouth and slanted eyes with blank red eyes. He had a segmented tail attached to the back of his head with two stingers attached to the sides of the last one, and thick armored boots with pointed feet.

Magna Centipede landed on the ground and looked straight at X, but oddly enough did not say anything at the moment. X inquired bluntly "Magna Centipede, why have you of all people gone Maverick?!" Magna Centipede suddenly said in a clean but very robotic tone of voice "Target identified as Maverick Hunter X…Operating at full capacity to defend the computer facility…" X widened his eyes and said "W-What's going on here? Magna Centipede…Are you ok?"

Magna Centipede pulled two arms away from it's chest and held them out at X, unleashing an air distorting magnetic pulse from the palms to try and pin X to the ground. X's armor projected the same field that protected him from the magnetic force in the junkyard, leading Magna Centipede to remark "Option one not recognized as a viable method…Switching to option two…" Manga Centipede swings it's tail forward and detaches two segments from it, sending them right at X's arms. The segments gave out a magnetic pulse, but this time they were strong enough to break through X's field and attach themselves to the middle of his arms in order to pull right straight back to the wall behind where he stood in an instant.

As X was pinned to the wall, he grunted a bit to try and pull himself free from the magnetic segments, while Magna Centipede remarked "Option successful…Preparing for viral insertion…" Magna Centipede then began to slowly walk towards X, lifting it's tail up beside his head and pointing the pincers towards his neck while they were pulsating with streams of dark red data. X grunted even more, and began to slowly pull his right arm away from the wall, switching his hand into an arm cannon right as he rips the magnetic segment away from his body and firing a charged shot right down at Magna Centipede with a frustrated look in his eyes.

Magna Centipede suddenly teleports away before X's charged shot hits, reappearing while standing upside-down on the ceiling as he pulls his two segments back to his tail and remarks "Resistance from target detected…" Magna Centipede then teleports again back down onto the ground and pulls a few shuriken from it's body, holding them in all four of it's arms as it remarks "Threat level deemed at SSS+ rank…Termination required under orders of Master Serges…" X gripped his left hand tightly and with a distraught look on his face as he landed on the ground he exclaimed "Magna Centipede! What's going on?! Listen to me!"

" _X…He has to be under mind control from Serges…You have no choice, you have to terminate him."_ Alia remarked without hesitation, but X exclaimed as he lifted his arm cannon up to repel a couple of the shuriken with regular shots "No! There has to be a way to free him from mind control! He hasn't become a Maverick, I can't just leave him like this!" _"X! It's either him or all the Reploids and humans on the island! I know he was a revered Maverick Hunter…But right now, he's just another threat to peace…"_ Alia was cold in her words, but she was absolutely right, which is what hurt X the most of all to think about.

X didn't have any more time to try and work things out with Magna Centipede, as the Reploid swung his hands out to send multiple shuriken at X, using his magnetic powers to guide them around in different directions while keeping the momentum flowing strong. X could only shoot a few of them back before he was forced to flip to the side to get out of the way of the others and put himself in a better position to shoot them down, but during that time Magna Centipede teleported behind X and used all four of his arms to wrap around X's body.

X lifted his right arm out just enough to stop that from getting wrapped up as well, and prepared to attack Magna Centipede's head with regular shots, but the Reploid moved his head to the left to dodge it all while raising his tail up ready for another stab. X switched to Wire Sponge's color and fired a Strike Chain at Magna Centipede's face, creating an electric shock to his body that forces the Reploid to let go of X's body. X then pulls forward on the Strike Chain to try and pull Magna Centipede over his body, but the Reploid applies enough magnetic force to his feet to keep himself still and force the Strike Chain to snap off.

Magna Centipede then teleports away before X can turn around and attack with his other arm cannon, reappearing on the ceiling behind him where he fires off a couple of shuriken down at X. X feels as the shuriken puncture into his backside, getting past this armor and digging a bit into his circuitry before he turns around and fires a charged shot right up at the ceiling. Magna Centipede ends up taking the attack head-on this time, being knocked off of the ceiling and slammed against the wall behind him.

But he quickly recovers and teleports again, this time appearing right before X and putting his knee right up into X's gut. This makes X recoil in shock and almost fall to his knees, but not before he lifts his arm cannon up and switches to Bubble Crab's colors, attacking with the Bubble Spread to distract the Reploid while he stood himself back upright. But while he was blinded by the exploding bubbles Magna Centipede violently tried to attack with tail stabs, X dodging most of them as he moved back a bit, but one manages to strike his arm cannon and puncture through it.

X then tries to retaliate by switching back to his normal colors and going for a charged shot, but for some reason the energy wouldn't build up as he wanted it to. X noticed some of the data streams from Magna Centipede's tail creeping up on his arm cannon, and upon thinking for a few moments X knew that whatever was in that tail was responsible for this problem. X quickly looked at Magna Centipede and ducked down to avoid a roundhouse kick from him, but the Reploid then teleported away before X could fight back.

Magna Centipede appears on the other side of the room and prepares to pull out more shuriken, but X quickly comes to realize that he should focus on the tail first since it seems to have the ability to shutdown X's primary functions. Thankfully, X could still use his weapons normally, and he decided to test something out by switching to Morph Moth's colors and aiming his arm cannon up at Magna Centipede's tail. The Reploid throws his shuriken at X, but X simultaneously fires off a shot of junk bundled up by silk at Magna Centipede's tail.

The junk attracts the shuriken to it, and Magna Centipede seemed to be confused by the attack in question as he doesn't teleport out of the way in time. The Silk Shot hits the tail and breaks apart, wrapping the silk around it and pulling it towards the wall, forcing the tail to stick to it right as Magna Centipede chose to teleport away. But in doing so, he ends up causing his tail to rip off from the rest of his body, the many segments of it dropping to the floor as the silk melts away. Magna Centipede reappears on the ceiling, but his rear was sparking with electricity now that his tail had been pulled off.

Magna Centipede teleports a few more times across the room while saying in a more panicked robotic voice "Tail removed! Offensive capabilities lowered immensely! Switching to rampant assault!" Magna Centipede rapidly teleports around the room and throws shuriken at X, as though his entire strategy up to that point was so reliant on the tail that it's loss from his body left him with nothing but desperation to do something to X. But with all of the shuriken flying around the room, X was certainly getting pressured with each passing second, especially since Magna Centipede was firing off enough of them for X to be incapable of shooting all down with his arm cannon.

The shuriken went through his armor, putting many scars across it as X tried to turn around and get a focus back on Magna Centipede. He had to predict where the Reploid would end up so he could hit him with his left arm cannon's charged shot, but because of that he had to only use his right arm cannon's regular shots to hit whatever shuriken he could. After a few seconds of dealing with this, X pointed his left arm forward at the opposite side of the room and let his charged shot loose the moment Magna Centipede reappeared there.

The charged shot struck Magna Centipede right in his chest and caused the metal covering it to explode instantly, knocking the Reploid back against the wall and causing all of his shuriken to drop to the ground a moment later. X huffed and puffed for a few seconds as he kept his arm cannon pointed at Magna Centipede while he stood motionless on the ground after being pulled off from the wall, and though it took a few seconds the Reploid twitched and then began to raise it's arms up as though ready to another round.

But instead of using his magnetic powers, Magna Centipede gripped the sides of his head and murmured out in a more naturally mature if still somewhat robotic sounding tone "Urggh…W-Where am I?" Magna Centipede lifted his head up with his vision blurred and remarked "X…X? Why are…you pointing your arm cannon at me?" X was shocked that the Reploid was acting more like himself, leading to him stating as he lowered his arm cannon a bit "Magna Centipede? Are you feeling yourself now?"

"I-I think so? …Last thing I remember was…infiltrating a secret facility Sigma was using…I feel so tired…Like something drained me of all my free will…" Magna Centipede said, and X prepared to walk over to help the Reploid out before he suddenly wrenched his head back and let out an incredibly agonizing scream of pain while black electricity seeps out from his open chest, forcing X to pull back while his eyes widened in surprise. "Magna Centipede! What's happening to you?!" X exclaimed, and the Reploid responded by slowly starting to lurch his body forward with some heavy resistance, his arms trying their hardest to move forward at the same time.

"I-It's happening again! T-T-They are t-t-trying to…Control me!" Magna Centipede remarked, his free will once more being drained away as his voice slowly became more robotic sounding. Magna Centipede stumbled around in a circle, trying to break the control by slamming the back of his head against the wall behind him but to no avail, and X was far too hesitant to raise his arm cannon up until Alia called in and exclaimed _"X! What are you doing?! You can't let him be controlled again, so take him out!"_

X then raised his left arm cannon up at that point, exclaiming in a pleading tone "There has to be a way to free him from the mind control! Alia, he's not a Maverick, I shouldn't have to destroy him!" _"He may as well be a Maverick at this point X! You can't be showing hesitation now, not when thousands are counting on you on this very island!"_ Alia pointed out harshly, but she could not afford to hold back in this situation considering the stakes. X's right arm shook as he held onto his arm cannon, and he exclaimed in naïve defiance "Dr. Cain could fix him! Dr. Doppler could…There's still hope Alia! There has to be-"

"Hehe…X-X…It's ok…" Magna Centipede suddenly spoke out in his own voice, though the amount of weakness he showed suggested that he wouldn't be able to do so for much longer. X looked at the Reploid as he stood still, his arms slowly spreading away from the center of his body while they twitched to show his resistance. With a satisfied look on his face, Magna Centipede remarked to the best of his ability "…T-That was always the oath…We took when we became Maverick Hunters…To put our lives on the line to protect the Reploids and humans who…can't defend themselves…"

"Magna Centipede…" X whispered in a distraught but amazed tone of voice, and the Reploid grunted in pain before he continued on by mentioning "I-I always knew that there'd come a point where…I'd screw up and such…Only the maker knows how many innocent Reploids and humans I've brought harm to…W-While being controlled by the X-Hunters. P-P-Please don't get me wrong here X…I-I appreciate your compassion…Your desire to want to free me…But it's not possible…"

Magna Centipede hung his head a bit in shame and remarked "A-At this point…I'm just nothing more than another Maverick…X…Don't hesitate now…Perform your duty as a Maverick Hunter for everyone else's sake…And when you get Zero back…P-Please tell him that it was an honor serving under him…" X, bitterly gritting his teeth, nodded his head and charged his arm cannon, cause even though every fiber of his being still did not want to kill Magna Centipede he felt ignoring his last request was something he could never bring himself to do.

As X's charged shot went out, Magna Centipede closed his eyelids and accepted death, though the mind control defied his wishes and widened his eyes just enough for the robotic voice to say "Terminat-" but the charged shot struck his chest before he make a single move, and led to the Reploid's swift obliteration. Right as Magna Centipede's body exploded, X dropped to his knees and looked completely worn out and devastated, his hand barely held atop his arm cannon as the fallen Reploid's head drops onto the ground in front of his knees.

Magna Centipede's expression was blank, devoid of any irises or pupils, but X could almost tell that the Reploid had died content with the way things were. X hesitantly moved his right hand down to the head to copy Magna Centipede's power, feeling incredibly broken up about how this whole thing went down and thus not noticing as his colors switched to grey and yellow for but a moment. X then trembles at the life he had just taken until Alia calls in and remarks _"X…The satellite dish's signal has been shut down. We can now send in a team to quell the Mavericks that were created by the signal…"_

X didn't respond at first, and after a few seconds of silence Alia said quietly _"…X…I'm sorry Magna Centipede had to die…But there was no way we could have saved-"_ "Alia…Just bring me back to base…The mission is over after all, right? X said blankly, and Alia just went quiet at that point, letting out only a sigh of regret for how hard she pushed X before using her skills as a navigator to bring down the teleporting beam that would take X back to the Maverick Hunter HQ, which X accepts as he slowly rises back onto his feet…

 _Next Time: Why Should I Fight?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Glorious Crystal Gleam, Crystal Snail**

By the time X had returned to the Maverick Hunter HQ, the alarms and red tinted lights to signify the danger of the situation had passed, and everyone had gotten back to work with little comments regarding Magna Centipede's death. It seemed the only one affected by his death was X, ironically the one who had to pull the trigger in the first place. After X got his body healed up, including regaining the ability to reuse his right arm cannon, he made it back to central command and immediately went over to Alia.

Alia was looking on the map, which only had the last Maverick mugshot present on it and seven squares of static. She was focused on her work as usual, but upon realizing that X had walked up behind her she turned her chair around slightly and gave him a hesitantly melancholic glance before quickly looking back at the computer screen and trying to avoid the subject of the fallen Magna Centipede by stating "Only one Maverick commander left X, and then we can probably find where the X-Hunters are situated."

X paused behind her chair while glancing down at the ground with a very distraught look in his eyes, quietly asking her "Why is no one talking about Magna Centipede's death?" Alia didn't say anything for a few seconds, but then let out a sigh and asked X "X, I know his death affected you, but you can't linger on it." X lifted his head up slightly and said "Easy for you to say when you were demanding I kill him."

"X, please don't blame me for just trying to do my job." Alia remarked while keeping her cool and continuing to type on her keyboard, but X raised his voice a little bit and pointed out "He could've been saved!" "Maybe he could've X, but you have to consider the risks here. We don't know HOW he was mind-controlled, and not only that there'd be a huge risk of him causing damage to the HQ while we try to fix him. You should know better than anyone X that we don't hold Mavericks or suspects prisoner here anymore, not since Sigma broke Vile out." Alia comments, remaining calm and rational as much as she could.

"We should've made some attempt to try. He could've been kept in the computer facility until we could bring someone in to help." X suggested, but Alia shook her head a bit and closed her eyelids, telling him to the best of her ability "X…I know you hold compassion towards others, but you have to face reality sometimes. We're Maverick Hunters, and our job is exactly that…We aren't supposed to let any Maverick survive if they threaten the peace of innocent Reploids and humans. Magna Centipede said as much before he died that he was basically a Maverick at that point. We'll remember him as a brave Maverick Hunter, but the rest of the world will only recognize him as a Maverick who threatened their lives…"

At that point X surprised Alia by suddenly slamming his right fist down on the side of her keyboard, breaking a couple of the keys while making a loud enough sound that everyone else in the room stopped what they were doing and focused their eyes on X, who was trembling a bit and gritting his teeth in anger at how he was forced to handle Magna Centipede's situation. Alia looked up at X, and in a moment of tossing aside her work mentality she said to him "X…I am genuinely sorry that things ended up like this. Maybe I can't ever understand what it's like to take a life…But I do know what it's like to be unable to save someone."

Alia then lifted a hand up and laid it on top of X's own as he clenched it into a fist, telling him as he looked at her "But you have to keep going X. Magna Centipede may be dead, but he made the sacrifice necessary to give us a chance to quell the Mavericks created by that signal wave and let the innocents continue to live their lives. But that peace will be threatened if the X-Hunters get a chance to attempt something like this again."

X lifted his head up all the way and despite having a melancholic look on his face he nodded his head and said "…No, I-I suppose you're right. I shouldn't be getting mad at you Alia…It's the X-Hunters that put Magna Centipede under their control. They're the ones who forced him to fight me…I have to take the fight to them. Not just for Magna Centipede's sake, but for all the people and Reploids on that island as well. Alia, put in the coordinates for the last Maverick location, I'm going to head off."

Alia smiled a bit as X seemed more ready to go back to work, and with a nod of her head she pulled her hand away from X's own and began to type in the coordinates for the last destination. It was a good thing X hadn't broken any of the keys she needed, so she was able to get to work right away, remarking all the while "The final Maverick is known as Crystal Snail. I'll give you the briefing now since it's rather short. He's another unknown, just like Wire Sponge and Morph Moth, but what we do know is that he's been mining rare gemstones for the X-Hunters."

"A gem digger then. Understood. I bet he was created by Sigma just like Wire Sponge was, so I'll make sure to be careful." X remarked before turning around ready to head for the door, but before he left he paused and held his arms down beside him while remarking "…Alia, I'm sorry again for snapping at you." X then left the room and went for the teleporters, while Alia blinked a couple times and looked back at the computer, remarking to herself "…I almost thought for a moment that X was going Maverick, but it seems all he was doing was being himself…I wonder if it's even possible for him to go Maverick? Hmmm…"

X gets sent straight to the place that Crystal Snail was occupying, immediately being greeted by a powerful radiance all-around in the atmosphere thanks to the clear abundance of gemstones that made up the walls, pillars and ceiling of this cavernous zone. X was taken aback by the radiance for a moment, especially as it flashed between differing colors with every second, though at the very least the tint in the atmosphere was dull enough so it wouldn't distract him for too long.

X prepared to move forward, though not before letting out a momentary sigh, as he still couldn't fully absolve himself of the guilt of killing Magna Centipede even after Alia's attempt to get him focused back on the mission. Though upon thinking about his navigator, X is shocked out of his train of thought when she contacts him via his helmet and he lifts his hand up to answer the call as she points out to him _"I'm detecting one more Dr. Light capsule in this area, but it's pretty far in. Other than that, you're free to handle this however you wish X."_

X nodded his head and then shut off communications without saying another word, and he slowly went for his arm cannon before moving on ahead through the glistening caverns before him. As expected of a cavern, there were more of those bat Reploids hanging around on the ceiling as X pushed on through into a narrow passageway, though naturally they were nothing more than a minor distraction for X as he used standard buster shots to take them out one at a time, especially considering they weren't gathered in a swarm.

He then leaped onto a green glass platform and moved forward a little bit, only to be greatly surprised when he starts losing his footing and goes sliding forward the moment he steps onto the hollow slope. X goes sliding down towards a pit, but uses his high momentum to leap over it and land on top of another slope, this time going straight down towards an abandoned Ride Armor at the very bottom. X decides to land right into the cockpit of the Ride Armor instead of leaping over it, and after stabilizing himself he turns around and sits down ready to pilot it.

This Ride Armor functioned exactly the same as the one in Wheel Gator's tank, and with it X makes an immediate U-Turn and activates the jet boosters on the back of it to propel himself forward through the cavern. He quickly makes it to a chasm leading further into the cavern, and with how narrow the path was there was no other way to go put down. X leaped off the edge of the platform and fell down quickly due to the weight of his machine, but along the way he used the drill arms to break apart some crystal covered turret drones so his Ride Armor wouldn't get damaged.

The Ride Armor lands on a bed of spikes at the bottom of the gap, and in front of X were some weak blocks of gemstone that he broke through by spinning the spiked fists out in front of his body. However, there was a very thick extension of purple stone above the ledge in front of him that prevented him from taking the Ride Armor any further for the time being. X cautiously leaps out of the Ride Armor and lands on the ledge, leaping forward off of that to land on a purple metal incline.

This one was thankfully not slippery like the last slope was, but there was the matter of a gigantic emerald block preventing X from continuing any further for the time being. X planned to use his charged shot to destroy the block, but it only took a couple seconds and a little noise for X to watch as the block began to slide down straight towards him, perfectly fitting between the incline and the gem-encrusted ceiling as it made it's way down. X dashed forward and slipped into a gap between two slopes to get underneath the stone before it could crash into him.

The stone goes on by and slams against the purple stone from earlier, crushing it into dust before it fell down into a grand chasm below the edge of the slope. X poked his head out of the gap and saw that he could now take the Ride Armor with him further into the cavern if he so wished, and considering the presence of the destructible gemstones X made the wise decision to go back and leap over the gap, grabbing onto the ledge to pull himself up and then make it back into the Ride Armor so he could use it to continue any longer.

Proceeding past where the giant green emerald was, X used the Ride Armor to destroy more crystal turrets and bat Reploids, casually dashing over the spike floors until he came across a problematic obstacle. There was a gigantic wall made of gemstones leading up to what appeared to be a metallic ledge further into the caverns. But with how uneven the gems were there was no way X was going to be able to wall-jump right up.

But X had the bright idea of using the Ride Armor to pound into the wall with the drill function of the machine's arms, slowly building up a slope that he climbs with every bit of effort he makes while standing up occasionally to shoot down any bat Reploids that plan to disrupt his progress. After a few minutes of constant effort, X's Ride Armor has allowed him to make it to the very top of the gem wall, but not without the cost of it breaking down from overuse. As it broke down and crumpled up, X leaped right out and patted the front of it, thanking it for a job well-done.

X then turned forward and dashed across the metal floor until he reached a small enclosed room, which by now signaled him to the fact that he'd come across a more troublesome enemy. This time the enemy came in the room of a sentinel orb-shaped drone buried within a large, thick crystal wall that blocked the way further ahead. The drone activated with a widening of it's eye, and from the ceiling it summoned forth two bolt-shaped miniature drones with a light on the front of their bodies that act as laser firing devices.

Though X knew that the job would be made easier if he still had a Ride Armor, he quickly realized he had a faster option to break through the crystal wall to reach the main sentinel. Switching to Wheel Gator's colors, X ran past the lasers fired from the drones and fired a Spin Wheel directly against the crystal wall. The wheel sticks to the front of the while and rapidly grinds against it, and X leaps back and weaves around the laser fire while his weapon does it's work, with it breaking right as it opened a hole straight to the drone.

But X was caught completely off-guard as he prepared both of his arm cannons for charging, with the drone using it's eyes to fire a gigantic laser in self-defense straight at X. X ended up taking the laser right to his chest and was pushed back, his thick armor keeping him from taking too much damage as he feels the full brunt of the laser. Once the laser was finished striking X, he raised his arm cannons and fired two shots straight at the drone, both fully charged despite the disruption he faced.

Both shots impact cleanly with the drone's body and caused enough damage to make it slowly self-destruct and break apart the rest of the crystal wall around it, breaking the way open for X to continue onward. X destroys the smaller drones with regular shots as he moves onward, leaping onto the ledge and finding himself face-to-face with another one of those green metal slopes, this one going a long way down into the caverns. Being more prepared for this slope, X gets to the lip of the top of it and sits down, so he can slide down it and keep himself in the perfect position to aim up at any bat Reploids that were in his face and shoot them down.

However, as he began sliding down, X heard a heavy impact behind him and glanced back, watching as another chunk of emerald rock falls from the ceiling, broken free from it thanks to the explosions caused by the drone X just beat. The weight of the rock allowed it to quickly slide down and start catching up with X, but X had enough distance away from the stone that by the time he reached the bottom of the slope he was able to press his arm cannon against the ground and use a charged shot to propel himself up onto the nearby ledge.

But the threat wasn't over yet as the gemstones was thick enough to break through the floor beneath X's feet, forcing X to run forward and leap off the edge of the ledge over to a purple metal slope as the emerald rock crashed against the gemstones and broke right through in a matter of seconds. X turned around and watched the rock fall into the gap afterwards, and thanks to the fallen and broken gemstones the rock was able to fill in the gap below, conveniently making itself even with a hidden passage down below.

Remembering what Alia had said about there being a capsule in this area, X decided to leap down onto the emerald rock and walk forward, using Wheel Gator's power to break the crystal turrets on the floor and ceiling as he made his way over to a clearly visible capsule at the end of the passage. As usual, X stepped in front of the capsule and let it activate, the holographic visage of the kindly doctor appearing before X with a bit of a smile on his face before he said _"Hello again X. I see you have made it to the final armor capsule. This one contains the Helmet Part, which will allow you to find out an enemy's weak point and hidden items in an area. Of course, since you have all the armor parts, I suppose that second feature is particularly useless now…"_

X didn't say anything at first, as he was thinking back a bit to what Serges was saying, especially the stuff regarding his possible connection to Dr. Light. However, the big thing that made X hesitate greatly was what Serges had said about Dr. Light possibly not being willing to reveal anything about who Serges was. With X standing around in silence, it didn't take long for Dr. Light to politely inquire _"Is something bothering you, X?"_

X widened his eyes and looked up at Dr. Light, saying to him in a stuttering tone "I-I'm sorry Dr. Light…I was just thinking about something and…" _"And? If something is bothering you, you're more than welcome to ask me for advice. I will be more than glad to help."_ Dr. Light said with a smile and a fatherly tone of voice, but even with that X couldn't bring himself to ask about Serges. There was something else though that he wanted to know, something that would perhaps dissuade some of the doubts on his mind regarding how he handled Magna Centipede.

"Dr. Light…Back in your day, was a war ever won without any lives being taken?" X inquired, and immediately Dr. Light closed his eyelids and let out a bit of a sigh before remarking _"I'm afraid not X. As much as we would have liked to, humanity always had to make sacrifices for the sake of winning wars."_ X hung his head low a bit and said "E-Even so…If there was ever a situation in the middle of a war where you had to take out an ally of yours to prevent a big disaster, would you try and save the person if the possibility existed, or would you take them out because that's the safer choice?"

"… _A difficult question you've proposed to me, X. Honestly, I don't know how to respond to that in a way that would perfectly satisfy you."_ Dr. Light admitted with the utmost honesty in his voice, and X nodded his head and said "I'll take whatever you can offer me. I just want to know if I made the right choice…" _"I suppose the closest thing I can say is that it's better to consider the needs of the many over the needs of the few…In simpler terms, choosing to save the lives of everyone else compared to that of a single man or Reploid."_ Dr. Light remarked.

"But if not a single life could be lost, then wouldn't that be the best option?" X inquired, and Dr. Light nodded his head and said _"That is very true, but that isn't always an option X. Being your creator, I understand why you are thinking these things…But do not push yourself too hard. Save whoever you can, but don't forget those whose lives have been lost. I honestly cannot give you anymore advice than that."_

"Yeah…Yeah…I get what you're saying Dr. Light. Someday, all of our efforts will lead to peace, and then we can honor the lives of those who died in battle…Both fighters and victims. In the meantime, we should try and reduce the casualty count as much as we can." X stated with some confidence in his voice, and with a proud smile Dr. Light said _"I wish I could still be alive to see that day come X. But alas, I must simply resort to being a spectator of your efforts. Now then, take the final part of your Second Armor, and use it to bring the peace the innocent people and Reploids deserve to have. Hopefully, you will not have to seek out my capsules again, X."_

X leaped into the capsule after Dr. Light's hologram went away, and after one more data processing session X comes out of the capsule with a white and red helmet that perfectly fits with the rest of his armor. Dr. Light then reappears, saying to his creation happily _"Best of luck X. And just know that I could not be prouder of you."_ The hologram then disappeared for good after X gives Dr. Light an appreciative nod, and with his Second Armor fully completed he sprinted out of the passage and climbed up the walls of the gap to get back to where he was before.

Making it to the purple metal slopes, X advances through the rest of the cavern while finding his way blocked by some thick purple crystal blocks. He saw another emerald rock sliding down his way, but confidently leaped up to grab onto a ladder nearby and climb it to get out of the way before the rock broke through the crystals and the bottom of the ladder. After that, X climbed up the rest of the slope and jumped between a couple of walls to make it to the entrance of a metallic compound.

After one more emerald rock slid down to give X passage forward, he made it to the familiar sliding steel doors that were attached to the floor and ceiling of an advanced looking compound, one that was presumably used for storing the gems and rare stones that were mined from the caverns, and for certain the place where Crystal Snail was waiting. After walking through the passage between both doors, X ended up in a room where the crystal glimmer did not reach, and at the far end of the room was an orange metallic snail shell lying on the ground with glistening green lights around the inside of the spiral.

Upon X entering the room, the being within the shell wakes up and stands upright, revealing it to be a metallic creature with small feet with shells for ankles, hands of blue, and rounded shoulders of red. He had an oddly shaped head with two antennae on top and something resembling snail's eyes extending out from it's chin, and between it's two regularly slanted eyes was a plain as day Sigma symbol. The Maverick looked at X and didn't say anything, but X said to him "So you're Crystal Snail…Were you created by Sigma?"

"…" Crystal Snail still didn't say anything, looking blankly at X while blinking it's metallic eyelids twice. X raised his eyebrows in surprise and said "So you aren't very talkative. Do you understand why I'm here?" Crystal Snail did nod his head slightly in response, and X held his arm cannon out to the side of his body a bit before stating "Then that makes this a little easier. You're the last Maverick I need to defeat, Crystal Snail."

Crystal Snail nodded his head again and then held his arms out, blue electricity moving between his antennae before he was ready for battle. X started off by shooting some normal buster shots at Crystal Snail, but the Maverick turns itself around and uses it's shell to protect itself without any harm done to it. The Maverick then leaped up and tucked into it's shell, creating a small rocket boost to keep itself suspended in place before it spun itself around and prepared to point itself right at X.

X ran forward and got underneath the Maverick as it charged right at him, but instead of crashing against the ground Crystal Snail spun itself around again and prepared to fire off in a different direction. Meanwhile, X turned around and prepared a charged shot, firing it out with enough force to make his body recoil back a bit. But even the charged shot doesn't dent Crystal Snail's shell, forcing X to quickly realize that his best bet of dealing with the Maverick is to wait for him to come out of the shell so he could strike the main body.

X leaped over the Maverick as it charged at him again, landing on the ground and cautiously walking back as Crystal Snail pulled himself out of his shell and turned around to face X. X readied another charged shot, but then the Maverick leaped into the air while X tracked him with his arm cannon. Crystal Snail suddenly released more electricity from his antennae, only this time it had an adverse effect on the environment as the crystalline gleam filled the air and distorted the air from ceiling to floor in a wave-like pattern.

X fired his charged shot, but it moved very slowly through the air and ended up missing Crystal Snail entirely as the Maverick landed on the ground. X himself felt much slower than usual as well, which became more evident when Crystal Snail ran right at him and rammed against the front of his body, slamming X against the door and pulling back before ramming him two more times before the time slowing effect disappeared.

When X fell on the ground, he thrust his left fist out to punch Crystal Snail right in the gut, which sent the Maverick away and gave X enough distance from his opponent to prepare another attack. _"I have to think of a way to separate him from his shell…"_ X thinks to himself as he considered all of the options available to him within the weapons he had acquired from other Mavericks. Considering how Crystal Snail was bound to his shell, X began to suspect that a magnetic force was at work there, and it quickly became clear what he had to do.

Switching to Magna Centipede's weapon colors, which were now in between the white and blue of his armor, X aimed his arm cannon at Crystal Snail and expected to fire one of those shuriken that Magna Centipede had used against him, but instead was surprised when a blinking mine launched out at the Maverick. Crystal Snail leaped over the mine and it attached to the wall behind him, and once more the Maverick launched a wave of time-slowing energy before tucking into his shell and launching himself at X with the rocket propulsion on his body.

As the Maverick hurtles towards X, he comes up with a plan on how to utilize the mine. X slides underneath Crystal Snail by using his rocket boots and ducking together, and then he turned around and waited for the Maverick to get out of his shell, taking his slowed down state into consideration before he fired another mine at the Maverick's emerging body. Crystal Snail widens his eyes as the mine connects and explodes, sending a negative magnetic pulse through his body that counteracts the magnetic force between him and the shell, and after a few seconds of twitching Crystal Snail's body is thrust out of the shell and sent across the air.

Time flows back to normal and X leaps over the body, flipping himself around and using his air boots to push himself backward while charging his arm cannon. Once Crystal Snail hits the first mine placed earlier and detonates it, X fires his charged shot at full force, and the magnetic disruption at this point weakened Crystal Snail enough that this attack was capable of destroying the Maverick in a single blow. Crystal Snail explodes on the opposite end of the room, taking his entire body with him as a glorious flash of crystal light fills the room for a few seconds.

Though it seemed like a careless move to destroy Crystal Snail's body when he hadn't acquired his power yet, X would quickly dash any concerns about that when he stepped off of the fallen Maverick's shell and laid his hand on top of it to get Crystal Snail's power that way. His armor only became a lighter shade of blue for a moment, and once he had turned back to normal he laid a hand on his helmet and remarked "That's the last of the Mavericks, Alia."

" _Good work X. Now that they are out of the way, we should be able to locate just where exactly the X-Hunters are hiding. Come back and heal up, and then we'll finally take the fight straight to them!"_ Alia said with some relief in her voice, and after X nodded his head in agreement she prepared the teleporter for X to be brought back. Before the beam of light carried him away, X clenched his left hand confidently and for the sake of all the Reploids and humans that he was fighting for, knew he was ready to take down the X-Hunters…

 _Next Time: The Plan Crumbles_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Hunters Become the Hunted**

All eight Mavericks were defeated…Zero's part had all been recovered…And the pieces of the Second Armor had been fully reassembled. X was more than ready to finish the mission he had begun, all he had to do now was check up on Alia and see if she had found the location of the X-Hunter's main base. But first, he made a quick recovery stop to heal up the damaged bits of his armor. He then made his way to the command center and went straight for Alia, who had put away the static imagery that had replaced the Maverick's mugshot and was now more focused on scanning the island itself for any signs of the X-Hunter's base.

"What's the situation Alia?" X inquired as he stood behind her chair, and she replied with a confident tone in her voice "I've done it X! Without the eight Mavericks around to run interference, I've picked up on the X-Hunters' signal off the coast of the island." X widened his eyes happily and smiled, saying to Alia afterwards "That's great news. How far off the coast are they?"

"At least three miles…They are hiding in a fortress wedge within a glacial island, and it seems they had some tunnel built that connect the fortress to the computer facility Magna Centipede was occupying. It's not hard to imagine that they've been using those tunnels to move the supplies Crystal Snail was harvesting from those caverns to the fortress without any of us noticing." Alia explained in great detail, leading to X saying confidently "Right now we don't need to worry about what they are using the tunnels for. If you can send me into there, I'll infiltrate the fortress and take out it and the X-Hunters for good."

"No need to drop you into the tunnels, actually. There's little interference preventing me from sending you directly into the fortress itself." Alia explained while zooming the computer screen in on the island she mentioned earlier, putting a mark on the entrance itself as she types in the coordinates for the teleported to take. X nods his head and says "That sounds go-" before he was done though, the sirens went off within the HQ once again, with Alia's computer screen immediately getting bombarded with some heavy static to signify interference from an outside source.

It wasn't just her computer screen, but the screens all the other navigators were using as well. A sharp screech through her headphones took Alia by surprise and made her grit her teeth before the sound balanced out, and she remarked through the pain in her ears with "W-What? Who could be hacking into our systems?" The answer came in the form of a familiar face appearing on all of the screen and the holographic projector in the center of the room, with X turning to look at that one in particular while remarking in an unsurprised tone "Who else could it be?"

In seconds, Agile's face appeared on the projector and screens, and with a smile on his face he pulled back and began to laugh slowly and quietly. His voice echoed across the room as he said _"Well well, Maverick Hunters…It seems you have defeated our eight Maverick generals. Well done, well done…All of you should give X a round of applause for all of his hard work."_ X looked fully at Agile's face on the projector and said "Agile…What do you want?" _"Why X…I thought you would have already come to hunt us down. Well since you are here, I suppose I shouldn't waste any time explaining myself…"_ Agile responded with a polite tone despite the gravity of his presence here.

After a couple metallic coughs, Agile said _"You have fallen right into our little trap. Remember that computer that released the signal across the island? Well what you stopped was just a preliminary test of it's incredible power! In just thirty minutes, we will be able to send another signal straight to your little HQ, and with it all of you shall become Mavericks yourself. And yes X…That will include your little friend Zero, who we know you've almost gotten rebuilt by now."_ X widened his eyes and then grit his teeth, while Alia stated to X from the sidelines "He's blocked off the signal to the computer facility X! I won't be able to send you directly back there anymore!"

Agile glanced over at Alia's spot from the projector and noticed that she had manage to override his hijacking, stating in an impressed tone _"Clever navigator…But it matters not what you do, you'll never break through the firewalls we set up around the facility itself. We connected those to our lives, so if you want to stop this signal…Then come to our base and fight us again, Maverick Hunter X!"_ "Fine…If a rematch is what you want, then I'm coming right after you all, X-Hunters!" X exclaimed confidently while clenching his fists in anger at what they were attempting to do.

" _Tick-Tock…Tick-Tock, X…Time runs out with every word you and I exchange. I will surely miss our conversations once you are gone though, you can be sure of that."_ Agile then drops his hijacking of the HQ's computers, and everything goes back to normal almost immediately. X turned to Alia and said "Alia, are the coordinates set?" "They are. Go now X! We have almost twenty-eight minutes left!" Alia responded swiftly, and X did not hesitate to run out of the room and make it for the teleporters, entering the closest one he could and being warped right to the X-Hunter's base.

X lands right within the entrance of the base, which shared the same aesthetic theme as the innards of the computer facility he had infiltrated earlier. With open windows letting a cold arctic breeze blow inside, X lifted his arm cannon up and looked on ahead at the metallic expanse in front of his path and then sprinted forward without hesitation, armed to the teeth with the eight Maverick weapons he had picked up along the way and the entirety of his Second Armor. He could not hope to waver even once now, not when the X-Hunters had made their goals clear.

X quickly ran into some bat Reploids first, but he dealt with them without stopping his sprint by switching to Overdrive Ostrich's weapon and using the charged variation of it to send a wave of Sonic Slicers down from above to slice through them all. As the bats blew up behind him, X leaped bravely down a flight of tall metal pillars towards a jet-propelled platform hovering above a bed of spikes, letting nothing distract him unless they posed an immediate threat, in which case he took them out with some quick buster shots.

Landing on the platform caused the jet to switch over to the other side, pushing the platform towards the other side of the bed of spikes while screwdriver-bit Reploids leaped at X to try and push him off. X grabbed one around the screwdriver and threw it behind him to make it explode upon hitting the wall, and then took out the other one with a couple buster shots. He then switched to Wheel Gator's weapon upon noticing a computer of some sort in front of him, and with a charged shot to increase the strength of the weapon he sent it out to have it grind right through the computer and explodes into a series of spikes once it reached the center in hopes of slowing the X-Hunters' plan down.

X leaped off the platform and ran forward, dodging the spikes that flew out from below thanks to the charged Spin Wheel while positioning his arm cannon in front of him to take out a row of screwdriver Reploids with a single normal Spin Wheel. Leaping and Air Dashing over the Spin Wheel as it climbs up the metal steps in front of him to take out more enemies, X eventually reaches a point where he has to jump directly up to climb a ladder into the next part of the base, which was basically an ascension through a couple shafts.

But upon climbing this ladder, X was placed in-between a familiar obstacle in the form of the enclosing walls that he saw at the beginning of this mission. A flying drone with strong extension poles on it's sides does the same thing as before, pulling the two walls closer together from the very top. But this time X could do something about this prematurely, and as he climbed up the walls just to be safe with some swift jumping he switched to Magna Centipede's colors and fired up a Magnet Mine straight up. The mine attracted to the robot and blew it up upon attaching to it, stopping it from pulling the walls in further.

X finished his climb by landing on the floor to the left and then leaping forward with an Air Dash to get lined up with one of those shielded drones and fire another Magnet Mine at them so it would interfere with their shield and make it open up so the mine would explode right as X landed on the ground in front of them. He leaps through the smoke of the explosion and goes forward, destroying another drone with another mine before going up to yet another ladder that he would need to climb to move on. X was aware that he was going into another area with collapsing walls and quickly blew the drone up by firing a Magnet Mine up to take it down.

He then wall jumped his way to the top and went to the left, temporarily switching out to his normal armor colors so he could fire a charged shot from both of his arm cannons at one of those scorpion tank Reploids that were in his way. He then went up a set of ladders while taking out more scorpions, using a third Magnet Mine on yet one more drone at the end to stop the walls from being collapsed, and after ascending up this shaft with wall jumps he sprinted forward and saw a gap and a claw on the other side of it waiting to grab him.

X wasn't going to have any of that, and used a charged shot to destroy it before leaping right across the gap and continuing on unimpeded for a few good seconds. He had to destroy another claw before leaping over another gap, followed by him also dealing with a one-wheeled boar Reploid in a similar fashion as both claws. X noticed the variety of enemies at this point and realized that the X-Hunters were throwing everything they got at him, but no matter the combination of enemies X had dealt with them all by this point and no doubts in his mind meant that nothing was stopping him from taking each enemy down without a single hit to his body.

Climbing up another shaft with some wall jumps, X leaped straight at a bipedal robot with spikes on top of it's head and swerved a bit to the right to avoid the energy bolts it fired, punching right through the front of the robot with his left hand to disrupt it's magnetism and make it drop to the ground as X safely lays a hand against the wall and magnetizes to it before leaping his way up to the top while avoiding all of the other spiked energy bolts from any other drones in his way.

X dashes across the floor once he gets to the top, and comes across one final set of collapsing walls as he looks up past the two ladders on the floor below his feet. One more Magnet Mine was all X needed to free up his way to the top of this shaft, and as X leaps between the falling parts of the destroyed drone he switches back to his normal armor colors and keeps a firm expression of confidence on his face. He threw all of his trust onto his fellow Maverick Hunters to keep the HQ safe in case the X-Hunters tried to pull an attack while he was gone, as he knew they trusted him to stop the X-Hunters and save the day for all Reploids and humans out there.

Once X was at the top of the collapsing walls, he found himself face-to-face with the familiar sliding steel doors that marked the way to the main enemy in the area. Frost lined the metal walls as X walked over to the doors and let them open in the face of his presence, and as he cautiously walked through the passage to confront the enemy awaiting him X took a deep breath in and released some haze from his mouth. He then entered the second sliding door and ended up in a large but enclosed room with some yellow and black metal blocking the way onward through the ceiling while a window was open to the left, revealing the arctic wastes outside.

As X stood at the now closed steel door, it didn't take long for his opponent to drop into the room without warning from above, and as expected it was one of the three X-Hunters, Violen. However, the X-Hunter had received a bit of an upgrade since the last time he had confront X, with his cut-off arm now having his spiked ball attached to it. His other arm remained perfectly the same though, as did the rest of his body. "So we meet again X. You are certainly a fool for thinking you can barge in here and stop our plans!" Violen said with his gruff, arrogant voice.

"So you're the first one sent to attack me. I don't have time to waste with you, I'll end this quickly." X said with confidence and he laid a hand atop his arm cannon, and Violen just laughed and said "Hahaha! I'm not afraid of you X! My strength is far greater than before thanks to Serges' upgrades! I'm going to squash you like an ant, and then once the satellite dish is ready we'll begin the Age of Reploids with the conversion of your HQ into Mavericks!"

X focused on Violen as hard as he could, and his eyes glistened a bit as his helmet took effect, scanning the X-Hunter's body for any weaknesses he could find. To X's surprise, the scan reveals that of all the weapons in his arsenal, Bubble Crab's was the best to use against Violen. Switching to that weapon's colors on his armor, X exclaimed to Violen "You've done enough harm Violen! You and the other X-Hunters are through!" "Hahaha! Die X!" Violen exclaimed rather simply before he swung his spiked-ball arm out, making the ball detach from the rest of his arm and fly across the room while attached to a thick silver chain.

X doesn't waste any time and leaps right over the spiked-ball before it slams against the wall behind him, followed by X holding his arm cannon out and firing a stream of Bubble Splash right at Violen's face. The bubbles explode upon making contact with Violen's face, the water getting within the cracks around his eyes and causing a bit of short-circuiting that makes his vision switch between heavy static and a clear look at the area in front of him. Violen grunts in angered surprise at this move X pulled on him, and he reacts by pulling back on his morning star and swinging it around wildly to try and hit X.

As the spikes beat against the metal walls and bang heavy indents into them, Violen exclaims to X "What is this dirty trick of yours?! Fight me like a true Maverick Hunter would, coward!" X had landed on the ground on the one safe spot away from Violen's spiked ball, and that was to the right of his body. With arm cannon raised up and a charged shot forming, X said "I am…I'm eliminating the Maverick that's causing trouble." By the time Violen had heard the energy charging, X had fired a charged shot off point blank into the Maverick's face, which makes a brief explosion occur that blows off a good chunk of Violen's face and throws the brute onto the side of his body.

X then leaps across the room and lands at the end of the chain carrying Violen's spiked ball as it drops to the ground without it's master currently being able to control it. X switches to Overdrive Ostrich's colors and uses a Sonic Slicer to cut the end of the chain, making it so Violen could no longer use it against X. In fact, X had his own plans in mind for said spiked ball, with him walking behind it and lifting his right leg back as Violen slowly pushes himself onto his feet, the internal machinery on the right side of his voice exuding with sparks of electricity as his head twitches and he says "D-Darn you!"

Violen pulls back on the chain, but once he realizes that his spiked ball was cut-off from it he was far too late to do anything else. The panicked look of realization was put to a swift and sudden end when X cleanly kicked the spiked ball right through Violen's chest, taking out all circuitry that would prevent the X-Hunter from speaking or moving ever again. The spiked ball pins against the wall, sticking around the hole punctured through Violen's now defeated body and suspending him in an upright position as his arms limp down and his head tilted to the right.

X stood still for a moment in the center of the room and caught his breath, saying to himself "One down…two to go…" He had no time to waste though, as time was running out with every passing moment, and he had no way of knowing just how much time was left unless Alia wished to tell him…But he knew she couldn't unless things were down to the wire. X thus pointed his arm cannons up and used a couple charged shots to blow up the protection in the ceiling, making the chunks of yellow and black metal fall to the ground in a pile that would be big enough for X to use in order to get up to the next part of the base.

X made some strong leaps up to the next area, leaving Violen's defeated body behind without a second thought regarding his fate. This part of the base had a bit of moisture within the atmosphere, and the source of that became very clear as X moved a bit onward and see some water off the metallic ledge. X prepared for a switch in momentum and gravity as he leaped into the water, but also prepared a charged shot in his right arm cannon for whatever enemies might be waiting for him when he gets down into the dark cold depths.

Deep within the waters, X comes across some drilling fish Reploids that spin the waters around their bodies like miniature whirlpools before as the fly at X. The charged shot comes to good use here as X fires it off at the Reploids to take them all out, proceeding to sprinting through the dark waters while feeling the pressure around him, using his night vision to keep a perfect view of the environment as he eventually finds himself having to cross some pits while more of those fish Reploids block his way. After a couple pits, X ducks under a protruding metal pole and leaps up close to a shaft out of these waters.

This shaft was patrolled by a couple of those bipedal Reploids with spikes on their heads, and they were so close together that X had to destroy them now before continuing onward. He takes care of them by standing still and raising his arm cannon straight up, sending a charged shoot through the shaft that travels out of the waters as it destroys both Reploids in the way, striking a hole through the ceiling right after it exits and allowing X free passage to wall jump his way up to dry land for the time being.

Before X could wall jump up another shaft, he had to take care of a couple more drones, and thus used the Magnet Mine to take them out as he climbed his way up. Once at the top he saw a could one-wheeled builder Reploids patrolling the floors ahead and quickly switched to Wheel Gator's colors so he could send a Spin Wheel on ahead to take care of all of the Reploids on the floor while he follows cautiously behind it. Once the wheel did it's job, X saw another patch of water down below and the way there blocked off by a few more spiked drones.

X stepped back for a moment and held his arm cannon at the ground, switching to Morph Moth's colors before charging up to create a block of junk gathered together around a binding of silk, and with a light kick X knocked the junk block down to rebound off of the walls and ram against the drones to safely take them out and clear the way down, with the junk exploding once X switched back to his normal armor colors. Once in the water, X finds a spike bed that was too large for him to leap across and a couple of capsule platforms moving slowly back and forth.

X leaped at one of those platforms and magnetized to the side of it, slowly climbing his way around the circumference of it before he was lined up with the other one, at which point he switched to Wire Sponge's colors and used a Strike Chain to pull himself over to the platform and repeat the process to make it to the other side of the spike bed. Climbing up a couple steps though led X to another bed of spikes with a tricky platform to maneuver around, as the passageway was narrower than before.

But X also had the advantage of removing the water pressure by leaping out of it and getting atop the platform, using the space above it to slide forward with just enough momentum to cross the bed of spikes and land on the lone platform on the other side. Once there, X was greeted with a jet-propelled platform that went up and down towards a vertical shaft with walls lined with spikes. X leaped atop the platform and went up, noticing a couple of snail-like Reploids he hadn't seen before climbing up and down the spiked walls with a lone platform sticking out from the top of their shells.

X quickly came up with an idea on how to ascend the shaft quickly, and he switched to Flame Stag's colors and aimed his arm cannon downward while charging up energy. Using the burst of fire from the charge to launch himself upward, X made sure to land perfectly on the platform, using the same move two more times until he was safely at the top of the shaft. But he didn't switch off the Speed Burner yet, as there was an expanse of spikes to cross straight ahead, forcing X to propel himself through the air with a charged Speed Burner around his body to make it to the other side.

X then drops down the shaft past it and finds a large bipedal Reploid with turrets abound on it's body, but even it's intimidating appearance mattered little as X just ran around it's turret shots and kicked off the wall behind him to get above the Reploid and fire a Speed Burner right through the top of it's body to burn through it's innards and take it out quickly. X performs a quick on the back of it's head as he descends to get it out of the way and allow him to reach the steel doors it was guarding. It had not felt that long since he had taken down Violen, but X could not assume for a second that time was still on his side. Such arrogance would only serve as a detriment to his mission.

X entered through the doors and found himself looking down at a large pit of spikes, which he knew was meant to serve as an obstacle for him to constantly be aware of while he fought whichever X-Hunter was waiting for him. A set of four rows of platforms rode over to greet X, a gift to his opponent to give him a fair chance in this environment, X had suspected. Leaping onto the platforms while keeping his Speed Burner charged just in case he needed to bail, X was carried over the spikes until a part of the ground opened up, a towering machine rising up from the crevice with a familiar face riding within it.

It was Serges, who had discarded his hat and cape and now revealed his full mechanical body with plenty of blue, gold and red mixed within it all. He was hunched over slightly as he grasped his control sticks in the pod riding up and down the innards of this towering tank of his via a conveyor belt. Four cannons were mounted on a thick wall of purple metal on the front of the tank, and thick treads kept the tank mobile even on the spikes. Serges laughed a bit with his head raised, telling X as he saw some anger in his eyes "Well well…We've met each other again rather quickly, haven't we…Mega Man X? Tell me, how was your visit with Magna Centipede?"

X growled a bit but tried to keep his cool, and Serges responded to that by enticing him on with "Oh come now, surely you have something to say to an old friend?" X replied in response to that with an exclamation of "I don't care what you're connection to me or Dr. Light is, 'Serges'! You can taunt me with that all you want, but in the end you're my enemy, and if you wish to threaten Reploids and humans with your actions then I will take you down like the Maverick you are!"

"Threaten, hmmm? You think I've done all this just to threaten Reploids and humans? My goals are far grander than that, far beyond what the other two X-Hunters believe I'm wanting to do. All of my contributions have merely been to lure you around like a puppet, Mega Man X. Hehehe…You'll understand soon enough, blue bomber, how far outmatched you are in the long run. But for now…Lets battle for old-times sake, with my machine against your might!" Serges gripped his controls tightly and brought his machine to a powerful roar as it activated.

"You're not going to win!" X said before he swung his arm cannon up and fired a large burst of fire at the cannon directly in front of him, destroying it before it could even get a chance to attack. The platforms X are on start rising up and down at a rapid pace, making X feel a bit of inertia in his body as he focuses on the other three cannons. Switching over to Magna Centipede's colors, X quickly fires a few mines at the top cannon, figuring it would be the toughest to deal with if he didn't do so otherwise.

Three mines are enough to blow up the cannon, while the other two started firing off shots at X while he bobs across the platforms. They fired off arrows of electricity that broke apart some of the platforms individually, decreasing the movement space X was capable of utilizing as he focused on the remaining cannons. X leaped back to dodge some of the small electric balls that split off from the arrows, pulling back on his arm cannon as he grips it while he charges up energy for a straightforward buster shot.

X didn't let anything hit him as he prepared his attack, and once he felt the energy built up fully he summoned his other arm cannon and fired both charged shots out to take out the bottommost arm cannon. But by this point Serges had destroyed two full rows of platforms, and all he had to do was fire another arrow from his cannon to take out one of those rows. He may have been losing his offensive capabilities, but he was slowly preventing X from being able to move around. From first glance though, such a thing didn't seem to matter though as X quickly fired a Silk Shot into the barrel of the cannon and caused the electricity to rebound off of it and destroy it from the inside, which in turn set off a series of explosions that took out the entire front of the tank.

X stood on the last row of platforms and realized how little space he had left, and he cautious charged his arm cannon ready to take Serges out. But the man was one step ahead of X, and right as the wall blew up he had already leveled his pod in the center of the conveyor belt and raised his right hand up to reveal a lit bomb in his hand. "Checkmate, Mega Man X! There's nowhere for you to run except the spiked pit below!" Serges exclaimed before he threw the bomb straight at X.

X remained as calm as he could while noticing Serges covering his eyes up with his arm, and while gripping his arm cannon and switching to his normal armor colors the bomb went off and released a blinding flash of light from it's incredible explosion. The last of the platforms were taken out along with a large chunk of the ground, putting a gap into the ground so big that there's no way of telling how far down it went. After the flash went away, Serges moved his arm away and didn't see any trace of X's body in sight. Serges stood up and laughed a bit, stating happily "Finally! At long last, your bumbling nature was the end of you, blue boy!"

But Serges' celebration was cut short when he began to hear a familiar charged sound coming from below. He raised his eyebrows and said "No way…" but his words were quickly cut off by a charged shot ripping right through the bottom of his body and taking out the roof of his tank. Serges' widened his eyes in surprise as the upper part of his body fell forward, but with what energy he had he gripped onto the front of his pod. But X had already further decimated the tank by firing a second charged shot at the bottom of the tank's back support, by this point Serges watching that action occur, revealing that X had survived by leaping onto the bottom of the tank, right above the treads.

"H-Heh…Hehehe!" Serges laughed as the back of the tank began to collapse forward without as much support as before, and as X ignored the X-Hunters' demise to focus on creating a way out of here via a charged Silk Shot to create a platform of junk on the spikes beyond the tank Serges said "You are all so persistent…Every last one of you…But guess what? So am I…If you think this will be over with this body's demise, Mega Man X, then you are sorely mistaken…I won't ever die, not until Dr. Light's legacy is put to an end by Z-"

X did not hear the last part of the X-Hunter's sentence as his body was pressed against the spikes in the floor, doing enough damage to finish his life for good. X remarked to himself after a pause "…That just leaves Agile…" X then leaped onto the junk block he made and turned around, charging up a Speed Burner so he could propel himself and the junk block across the room before the tank exploded. He quickly then turned around and fired a normal charged shot at the wall ahead, blowing open a hole in the wall that would allow him to leap straight through it with a midair somersault before the junk block broke apart.

From his somersault, X rolled across the ground past the hole in the wall and fell down onto a lower platform and got a chance to collect himself as he stood on one knee and cocked his arm cannon upward, scanning the environment around him and immediately noticing a shielded Reploid patrolling a ledge up ahead. X quickly charged up energy and took out the Reploid as it attempted to throw it's shield at him, with X leaped up and pressing the shield against the ground as he stands upright.

By this point in time X was deep enough into the X-Hunter's base that the frost was no longer plaguing the walls, and the more deeper and advanced machinery could be seen behind the grated walls. X knew this would be the final stretch he'd have to deal with before confronting Agile, and with the fate of all Reploids riding on his shoulders X steeled his cautious mind for whatever could possibly come his way and then sprinted forward, leaping right over the ledge the Reploid was guarding and using a charged shot to take out another one on a ledge ahead before he lands on the platform below said ledge.

After crossing past this ledge, X fires down at one more shielding Reploid, hitting it's head while also taking out one of those six-legged insect drones that jumped down for an attempted surprise attack. X then goes down the lower path and leaps over a couple gaps, followed by him then jumping off a wall to get to a higher ledge close to a ladder. There was a platform whose jets could be manipulated by stepping on top of it, but X didn't need to use it since there was a wall close by for him to use to get to the next ledge, especially once he combined the Air Dash for better horizontal movement.

Making it to another ladder, X climbs up and takes out a rhino tank Reploid with one swift shot of a Sonic Slicer. He then backflips onto the next ledge and sprints over to a ladder, climbing it up to reach a more vertical shaft with another one of those jet propelled platforms. However, X had an idea on how to climb the shaft without using the platform, and he quickly leaped onto the wall to the right of the ladder and jumped up it repeatedly until he was right underneath a platform, all this time charging up the Speed Burner.

Once he was ready, X Air Dashed away from the wall and then fired his Speed Burner downward to launch himself onto a new platform. X then wall jumps his way up to the next platform via the opposite wall, followed by him using a charged Speed Burner to launched himself up to another one. He repeats this basic formula while taking down the enemies in his path until he made it to the very top, where he was left to then take a ladder down to the next part of the base. Climbing down the ladder, X used Spin Wheel to deal with any enemies in his path while crossing a couple spike pits until he made it to the very bottom.

Nothing in this base was a threat to X, who was so motivated to save the Reploids and humans that could be threatened by the satellite dish that he still refused to let any enemy lay even a finger on his armor. After a few more seconds of traversing the base, X came across a long hallway with a spiked floor, and it seemed impossible to cross from X's point of view. But then he looked up at the flying insect drones in the area and got an idea. Switching to Crystal Snail's colors for the first time since acquiring the power, X fired a shot of ivory goop up at the drones and watched as they crystallized and dropped harmlessly onto the spikes to create platforms for X to cross.

X leaped his way across the spike pit and landed before the sliding steel doors leading to what he could only assume was Agile's chamber. Walking through the passageway, X emerges from the other side of the doors into a darkened room with a floor of spikes and two pink-blue metal platforms on both sides, with X falling onto one while Agile stands on the other, his arm still removed after their last battle. X stayed his ground with a firm expression on his face while Agile looked the slightest bit surprised to see him there, remarking to that effect with "…So you've made it here already. I didn't expect you to make it to me so soon…"

"Violen and Serges are dead. You're the last threat standing between me and the end of your threats to the Reploids and humans, Agile." X commented, and with a smug look on his face Agile lifted his head up high and said "I'm not afraid of you X. You were only able to defeat me before because of a miracle…Miracles never happen twice, I'll have you know." "Then lets get started." X said calmly while holding a hand onto his arm cannon.

"You're right. Words are wasted here. You're life is over now, Maverick Hunter X! Allow me to show you why you would never survive the future!" Agile suddenly pulled his laser sword out of his belt and activated it while stabbing it through the socket where his arm no longer was. Suddenly, Agile's body began to undergo a metamorphosis of sorts, with his shoulders extending out into a pair of jet-like wings as his main body grows a couple of turbines on both sides of his hips, all the while Agile groaned in both pain and delight from the transformation. From these two turbines grew some spikes that acted as landing feet, and Agile's hit fit perfectly in the front of this strange combination of parts as Agile fully transformed into a small aerial machine and lifted himself up off the ground.

With Agile in this form, he stated with a more distorted, echoing voice coming from the sides of his body "This is the future of Reploids, X! Where we all evolve past our normal bodies and shape the world in our beautiful image! Outdated relics such as yourself will be lost away to the tides of time! If you think your prissy little armor makes you strong enough to match us evolved Reploids, then perish in your ignorance for good!" X simply responded to Agile's words by switching to Magna Centipede's colors and raising his arm cannon up, charging energy within as the arm cannon whirred to life.

"Do you think a simple charged shot will do me any harm? Ha! This body is perfection, it cannot be scratched or broken! …Wait a minute…Your armor does not have any blue highlights in it…Just WHAT are you planning on firing at me?" Agile stated in a first arrogant then puzzled tone, and X just replies simply with "You should know what happens when a magnetic force is charged for a period of time, especially since you thought you were in control the whole time, Agile."

"Magnetic…force…? W-Wait a second…No!" Agile thought about what X was saying for a moment, and then was dumbfounded by just how X could possibly have known that such a force would be the one weakness of his evolved state. From X's point of view, you'd see that he was scanning Agile's body from the very beginning with his helmet's power, and even as the form changed the weakness remained the same throughout. "Violen and Serges' deaths were for Persius and Zero…This is for Magna Centipede!" X said before his energy charge had reached full capability, and he fired what was within his arm cannon straight at Agile's body.

Flying through the air swiftly was a miniature black hole of magnetic force, one that tethered itself close to Agile's body and began to pull on it quickly, with Agile grunting in futile resistance as he remarked "H-How?! How could you possibly have known my weakness?!" The spikes below his body are the first to be torn away and swallowed into the black hole, with his face plate being next in line rather slowly, giving Agile enough time to glance past the black hole and look at the armor, specifically the jewel on his forehead.

As his body continues to be pulled apart and dragged into the black hole, Agile remarked "O-Of course! I g-g-get it now! That jewel…It is capable of infinite…potential! T-T-That makes you the first…ever-evolving Reploid on the planet…! Hahaha…I should have known…better than…this! Hahahaha….HAHAHAHAHA! I can live with this demise then…The future of the Reploids will be advanced without me thanks to what I have learned! A-Avenge me…MA-!" Agile cannot finish his sentence as his voice box is dragged into the black hole, and a few seconds later what remained of his evolved body followed suit.

The black hole fizzled out of existence at X's command then and there, with him switching back to his normal armor colors before the black hole could've affected him as well. And just like that, the X-Hunters were all dead, none of them and their obstacles managing to put a dent on his armor. But X had still pushed his body very hard to make it this far, though considering all he had left was to disable the computer facility before it could transmit the signal, X knew his body could handle just a little more strain.

Even so, X paused for a moment to contact Alia after so long, and she immediately said to him _"Unbelievable…You took down all of the X-Hunters like they were low-class Mavericks. You still have fifteen minutes to spare X. I can now send you to the corridor right before the computer facility itself. Just give me a few seconds to set the coordinates and…Bingo! You're ready to go!"_ Alia activated a teleporter beam from within the X-Hunter Base, using it to grab hold of X and take him to his final destination, where he'd finally be able to put an end to the X-Hunter's plans once and for all…

 _Next Time: Never Surrendering_

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
**

Just letting you all know ahead of time that next week I'll be uploading the last two chapters and the epilogue of the story. Glad to have made it this far, and I thank all of you for reading.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Resurrection**

With all the X-Hunters defeated, X was sent into the end of the passageway leading into the back entrance towards the computer facility. Even with the X-Hunters' demise, X had to still get to the computer in time to destroy it, and he had roughly fifteen minutes left to do so. X was dropped down into a small shaft after being teleported by Alia. This shaft was lined with purple metal walls, and the room was barely lit. After the chaos of the X-Hunters' main base, X was a little bothered by the absolute silence in this room.

Looking around as much as he was allowed to at the moment, X thought that there might be some sort of trap waiting for him here. Defeating the X-Hunters so easily just seemed very odd to him, even if he had figured out their weaknesses. X climbed up the shaft with wall jumps and ended up near two teleportation pods. One was broken apart, suggesting that it was the one that would have taken X directly to the computer facility, and the other one was perfectly functional and seemed to be operating as a detour in case the other one went down.

X was certainly right to be cautious as he stepped onto the functioning pod and found himself teleported across this mysterious part of the tunnel. He ended up inside of another room, this one contained a series of levitated steel platforms all across the entire expanse, and there was a high ledge containing an electronic barrier blocking the way to a hallway further into the facility directly in front of where X had ended up. The room was still a little dark, but now the problem was that there were some sparks of light coming from eight different sources around the room…And those sources in question were metallic statues of the eight Mavericks on the platforms around the room.

"This doesn't look good…" X commented as he stepped forward slightly away from the spot he was teleported onto, followed by Alia calling in and saying _"This wasn't the path you were supposed to take X. Looks like the X-Hunters sabotaged the right pod you'd have to take to get to the computer facility."_ "I can't waste too much time here…Alia, can you break through this electric barrier up there?" X inquired as he looked around to see what was up with the Maverick statues.

X leaped off the ground to reach the closest one, which represented Magna Centipede, and laid a hand against it while murmuring "Just why would these be here…?" There didn't seem to be a switch or button on any part of the statue, and the eyes glowed brightly for no reason except to add to the eeriness of the area. Alia chimed in and told X _"I can't believe it, I'm not able to hack into the barrier and shut it down. It seems to be connected to something…"_ X widened his eyes and then cautiously stepped back off of the platform the statue was on while saying "I think I know what's going on here…"

" _X?"_ Alia remarked quietly out of concern, and X lifted his arm cannon up and remarked "When I infiltrated Sigma's base, he had rebuilt the eight Mavericks as mindless drones to guard the way to him…The X-Hunters were nothing more than followers of Sigma's methods, so it only makes sense that they'd do the same thing he did. But considering how quickly I went after them upon defeating Crystal Snail, these must be copies of the Mavericks, not rebuilt versions…"

" _And you think they are going to come to life and attack you? But X…From what I'm understanding here, the statues aren't capable of coming to life, and whatever's keeping the barrier up is close by your current location. In fact…It's coming your way!"_ With Alia's warning, X turned around to look at the room, hoping he hadn't missed a passageway or that Alia wasn't referring to said being teleporting inside. "Alia? Where is coming from?" X inquired while keeping his arm cannon held tight.

" _They are coming from the passageway above you…And-…N-No way…"_ Following a gasp, Alia was suddenly left at a loss of words, which made X quickly point his arm cannon up at the passageway to confront the threat that left his ally concerned. But then he too was left in a state of absolute disbelief as he saw the shadowy frame of the person walking right through the electrical barrier and positioning themselves on the edge of the ledge. "W-What is going on here? How could this be?" X stuttered in absolutely disbelief, his mouth partially agape as he looked up at the ledge.

On the ledge was a tall Reploid with a black, almost vampiric cloak wrapped around his body while it was attached to his broad, curved and pointed metallic shoulders. His head was shaped like a human's, but with a slightly bigger chin and triangular pupil-less blue eyes with a black scar running through each one. His head was attached to a bright silver neck sticking out from a barely visible chest of green metal armor. X did not have to see the rest of the body to know who this person was, especially when they smirked and said as he looked down at X "I knew you would make it this far, X."

His voice was deep and commanded a particular presence, one that fit his dark cape and statuesque height, and it said a lot when X widened his eyes and murmured the man's name in a combination of surprise and fright "T-This is impossible…S-S-Sigma? This has to be a trick the X-Hunters left behind…You can't possibly be alive, you can't possibly be real!" Sigma lifted his right arm out a bit and said "You think I'm a fake, do you? Tell me X…"

Swinging his cape aside, Sigma reveals his body, which had underwent some changes since the last time X had seen him. Now he was a lot more detailed, with thick silver edging added to his shoulders and his green chest being buffed with orange metal plating. He also had visible metallic abs on his stomach and spiked bands on his heavily armored boots. His hands had become blue and there were extendable wolverine claws on his right one. Finishing his sentence off from earlier with confidence, Sigma asked "Then why would I have a new body?"

X froze up for a moment and grit his teeth, growling internally before he began charging his arm cannon and exclaimed "I don't care! Die Sigma!" He fired a large charged shot through the air at Sigma, but the reborn Maverick quickly drew his claws from his hand and swiped at the projectile to cut through it with such finesse that not a single bit of energy survived. He moved no part of his body save for his arm as he did this, and once he was done with his defensive slash he chuckled a bit and remarked "You've gotten stronger X, but it seems your temper hasn't changed in the slightest. But you seem to have finally listened to me and begun to not hesitate…"

Sigma's words were filled with mockery towards X's efforts, and with how easily he had taken care of X's attack he was right to speak with such arrogance. X didn't attempt another attack and instead lowered his arm cannon a bit, growling a little more before he said "How is this possible? I destroyed you…Your base collapsed on top of whatever remains there could have been! You shouldn't be alive!" Sigma lowered his arm down beside the fold of his cape and remarked "And yet here I am…Poor X, you really never understood how far this business with the X-Hunters went, did you?"

"What are you talking about? Answer me, Sigma!" X demanded answers, but as Sigma pointed out "The only reason I'm answering them for you X is because I wish to, not because you are in any position to demand information from me." X growled even more, followed by Sigma lifted his right hand to his chin and said "The X-Hunters were very loyal to my cause, but in the end they were nothing more than fanatics to my cause, and it was easy to use their loyalty to my plans. First they needed to acquire Zero's parts from the ruins of my old base and put them back together in a good enough condition…"

Sigma smirked a bit and then said "That way, they'd be able to show them to you, and your loyalty to your ally would make you come to this island region in order to get his parts back. The goal from there on was for the X-Hunters or the Mavericks they had recruited to kill you…But I knew from the start that they would just be stalling for time while my real plans went into motion. I remember how you defeated my eight Maverick generals the last time around X, and copied their powers and used them against the others…So while I was waiting for my new body to be made, I came up with an idea…"

"Using the knowledge of the eight Mavericks the X-Hunters had recruited and their weaknesses, I made it so you'd make it to Crystal Snail last. I had Serges give Overdrive Ostrich the order to fire the missile, knowing that the Maverick Hunters would make it the top priority to stop. Then, other threats would be unleashed that would keep you going through the weaknesses of the other Mavericks in the proper order until Crystal Snail was the last one you needed to defeat. And you know why I wanted you to save him for last, X?"

"…I think I can understand why." X said, as much as he didn't want to admit that he knew the truth, and Sigma moved his hand away from his chin and held his arms out while remarking "That's right. Before you had defeated me six months ago, I had created Crystal Snail and had him work within those mines to gather all the appropriate materials needed to create a new body for me. And with Serges' assistance along with everyone else's efforts to stall you, my new body was finished around the time you destroyed Magna Centipede."

With a look of sheer joy on his face, Sigma exclaimed to X with all of his excitement "And now, with my body having taken the next step in Reploid evolution, I shall continue where the X-Hunters had left off and finish Project: Unification!" "This still doesn't explain how you got into this new body! I destroyed your last one and it was buried in the sea with the rest of your base!" X pointed out in an angered exclamation, but Sigma just calmly told him "Hahaha…X, you really don't understand, do you? I am the world's first immortal Reploid, I cannot be killed no matter how hard you try."

"I-Immortal? No one is immortal…Not humans, not Reploids, no one!" X stated, and Sigma responded by gesturing his right hand out and admitting "Hmm, I suppose you do have a valid point X, but you would be quite surprised at how far some will go to keep themselves alive. Or do I need to bring up Cain putting his consciousness within cyberspace? Actually, I have also heard of a man who carried such a deep hatred from another that he spent the rest of his life learning how to live on as a robot…And eventually succeeded."

"Tsk…You killed Dr. Cain though, betrayed him and all he stood for just because of your insane views on 'evolution', Sigma!" X responded with, caring not about the points Sigma made due to how he viewed the Maverick. But Sigma responded swiftly with "You keep calling me insane, but in the end my only goal is to give purpose to those Reploids out there that are mistreated as tools by the humans. To take the Reploids to a new stage of evolution, and make them the dominant race on the planet…But I suppose I cannot expect a Reploid who has done nothing but kill the non-compliant on the orders of the humans to understand my views."

"I will never understand your views…And you try to use that argument against me when you used the X-Hunter generals as tools yourself?!" X stated, and Sigma replied "I have no qualms with being labeled as a hypocrite if in the end it serves my purposes, X. In the end, evolution requires sacrifice…It's a law that has always been in place since the dawn of time itself, and no matter how much you fight it X, someone will eventually succeed even if I somehow fail. Now tell me X…With that in mind, what does it matter if you manage to kill me again?"

"…" X paused and said nothing, leading to Sigma stating coldly "You've already seen how the X-Hunters were absolutely loyal to my views of the world, even though in the end it led to their demise. You think they were the only ones left that are loyal to me in this world? My words and actions have left a permanent impact on the world as you know it X…There are thousands upon thousands of Reploids out there willing to give up their roles in society to take on a more important position in the new world order I am building, and as time goes on the Maverick Hunters will continue to be overwhelmed as their forces dwindle and the Mavericks grow in number. I may have begun this revolution X, but it will not end with me…That's something you'll just have to accept regardless of what you think."

After a few seconds of mulling over Sigma's words, X raised his arm cannon up and said "If anyone else wants to take up the same ideals as you Sigma, then I will stop them all the same. You are not going to dissuade me, Sigma!" Sigma swayed his cape out and remarked "So you will destroy any that follow my path, is that right X? Then what are you going to do when your own allies are turned against you?" X flinched for a moment upon hearing that, leading to Sigma telling him "You seem to have forgotten what the stakes are once I appeared before you…"

"The satellite dish…" X murmured, followed by Sigma stating "That's right X. I have stalled the clock for now so I can show you how futile your actions are, but you know exactly what the computer is capable of transmitting…You know what will happen once it goes off. A signal will go out to the Maverick Hunter HQ, and everyone there will become a Maverick. So even if by some miracle you survive this encounter, all of your allies will become your enemies. Not only that, but Project: Unification will be complete."

"What is this Project: Unification you keep talking about?" X inquired, feeling only the tiniest bit calmer knowing that Sigma was arrogantly holding the timer back. Sigma grinned and said "It is a double-sided plan concocted by myself and the X-Hunters…The endgame being the rebirth of Zero. You see, we happened to collect a copy of Zero's blueprints for ourselves, meaning that it would be far too easy for Serges to rebuild him." X recalled the blueprints of Zero's body he had seen in the computer facility, but now that he knew why they were there he had to know what they were planning to do with his body and quickly asked "You can't be serious. So were you planning on creating an army of Zero clones all along or was that just the X-Hunters end goal?"

"Heheh…An army of Zero clones, you say? There's no such need for that…One Zero is more than enough for me. The X-Hunters never would have managed such a task. No…The purpose of Project: Unification was this. You see, each of Zero's parts are equipped with a hidden transmitter, one so deeply buried that it cannot be detected by any scanner. The parts are able to be teleported back with a press of a button, meaning that we could have made them come back at any time…Of course, we would have done that if you had only succeeded in capturing a couple parts and perished beforehand. However, I think this result is much better…"

Sigma swung his arms out and said "I know you've been rebuilding Zero within the HQ thanks to Cain's help! I can't say for sure though whether he's recreation is finished yet, but it matters not…Once the signal from the satellite strikes the HQ, whoever is working on Zero will be taken over, and Zero himself will become a Maverick just like me! And you've placed him right in the perfect spot to unleash him upon the humans!" X widened his eyes and exclaimed "Zero would never join your cause! You don't understand him at all!"

"Hehehe…Hahahah! Oh X…I know him far more than you could ever, EVER comprehend. It is Zero's destiny to be by my side and rein in the humans who oppose the evolution of Mavericks. I was hoping in the end to have Zero destroy you once he turned Maverick…But I must admit, I still carry a little grudge against you for destroying my first body. Though the irony of your best friend killing you after all you've done to save him would be a great thing to enjoy, I must also admit…" Sigma stated, and X exclaimed in response "Fine! If you want to fight me, then I will destroy you just like I did before! You will not succeed Sigma!"

"You just don't get it X…You're the only 'Reploid' in this entire world who cannot become a Maverick. So fight all you want…Eventually, it shall be you alone against a Maverick world! So destroy me…Destroy me again and again and again! I will persist until my goals are accomplished! Now, it's time for you to realize just how far your ignorance extends, X!" Sigma then raised his right arm beside his face and snapped his fingers loudly, and all of a sudden the lights go off on all of the Maverick statues in the room, with a very audible noise coming from each of them as they suddenly awaken from their dormancy.

The metal shell around their bodies disappear, showing that they were simply camouflaged until Sigma had ordered their movement. X swung his body around while aiming his arm cannon at Sigma still, but found that all eight Mavericks had been perfectly reconstructed, and all of them pointed themselves at X while continuing to stand on their individual platforms. As X looked at all of the Mavericks, Sigma held his arms within the folds of his cape and said "Rebuilding and cloning Zero is a struggle that's not worth it's time…But the standard Mavericks you've fought before? How could I not choose to keep copies of them in store just in case one of them falls? But of course, it also helps that these clones are incapable of showing free will."

"Enough of this insanity Sigma!" X exclaimed as he aimed his arm cannon up at the madman, who just laughed at his attempt at defiance and remarked "You may have gained the ability to shoot without hesitation X…But will it really do you any good here? You should focus your attention on the Mavericks surrounding you. Of course, considering it's an eight versus one scenario, not including the fact that you'd still have to fight me afterwards…Even with your new armor, I'd say your chances of surviving this are roughly 10%. It's a pity that your empathy towards the humans means you cannot be reasoned to join my side X…It was, in the end, the only way you'd ever fight by Zero's side again."

Sigma raised his right arm into the air and then snapped his fingers again while putting on a happy grin, and the eight Mavericks growled before they prepared to leap from the platforms at X. X turned himself around and pulled both of his arm cannons out, but with his ability to use only one of the Mavericks' weapons at a time he knew it would be quite difficult to take them out. His armor could not last forever against the unified assault of these eight foes, and the confined space meant he had little area to move around. X was worried about his situation, but he kept a firm expression on his face and began to charge his arm cannons at the same time as the Mavericks leaped from the platforms. But then a voice responded to Sigma's earlier comment, and it was one voice that X had almost believed he wouldn't hear again…

"Well then, why don't I add one more Zero to those odds, Sigma?!"

All of a sudden, a zip of red streaked into the room and landed with his back pointed to X's own, and before the Mavericks could land a single blow the figure drew a weapon and swung it in a swift three-hundred and sixty degree cut, managing to not hit X at all as it cleaved through all the Mavericks in a single slash. As the blade cut through the Mavericks, X slowly stopped his charged shots and turned his head to glance over his left shoulder with his mouth agape, and the sliced Mavericks quickly explode apart into many parts. X didn't say a word as he looked at his rescuer…

Behind X a long amount of golden "hair" waved in place to the side, all of it extending out from a red helmet that had crown-like spikes at the top and a jewel of triangular blue on the front of it's white center. The robot's shoulders were protected by reinforced plates, one of which contained a yellow and blue edged "Z" symbol on it. The robot's body was framed much like X's was, but with a slightly bulkier red chest and a white waist. He wore armored boots like X with protection on his kneecaps and toes, and his hands were protected by pointed metallic wristbands. But the most noticeable thing was that the robot had gripped in his right hand a beam saber with a wavy blue appearance and a thin but functional handle, something X knew he did not have before.

"X, are you alright?" The robot said in an inquiring but somewhat adolescent tone of voice as he stood himself upright and clicked the on the handle of his sword to remove the beam blade, putting the handle onto a holster in the back of his body. X turned around, smiling before he nodded his head and told his revitalized friend "I-I'm ok Zero. Thanks for saving me." Zero turned his head over his right shoulder and remarked with a bright look on his face "Actually, I should be thanking you X."

Zero turned back to look up at Sigma and folded his arms together, explaining to his friend "I was briefed on everything you've done to get my parts back X. You've been fighting hard against the X-Hunters for the last six months, and it seems Sigma has come back to life while I was gone as well…You don't have to fight alone now X. We'll face Sigma together!" Alia suddenly chimed in to X's helmet and told him directly _"Sorry I was silent for a while there X. I didn't want Sigma catching on to the fact that Doppler and Cain had finished reconstructing Zero and he was on his way to your location."_

"Cut it a little close there Alia, but thank you…" X said with an honest sigh of relief, and then he and Zero both focused on Sigma, who had gotten over his surprise and said "So you've been given a few upgrades, Zero. It seems that's something we've shared on this day…Of course, that's not all we have to share between each other." Sigma extends his right hand out and explained to Zero "Don't you feel it, Zero? The pull of destiny that guides you to fight by my side in this new Maverick world I wish to create?"

"Sigma…I don't believe in any 'destiny'…However…" Zero reached at his back and pulled out his beam saber, pointing it at Sigma while stating bluntly "If I did, the only destiny I'd believe in is the one where we will stop you and your insane goals!" Sigma pulled back on his arm and remarked "A shame…But if that's your decision, then I still have my back-up plan to rely on."

Snapping his left fingers immediately after saying that, Sigma steps back a little and lets another robot walk in from the side of him. It was a black copy of Zero, with him looking more like Zero's old appearance and thus not having the new sword or shoulders. Zero flinched a tiny bit as X looked a lot more surprised as she stood behind him, leading to Sigma explaining "This was always going to be my alternative if by some chance you could not be reconstructed…Instead I think I'll use this Zero as a way to test your new upgrades. So why don't you have some fun with this while I go and activate the satellite? Heheh…"

Sigma then turned around and began to walk off while the electric barrier shutdown, and the black Zero leaped down from the ledge and landed a few feet away from the real Zero. Zero keeps his sword pointed at his clone while saying to X "I'll handle this X. You can deal with Sigma!" X commented "Zero…" with a little bit of doubt in his voice, leading Zero to cheer him up by exclaiming "I know you can do it by yourself X! Sigma wouldn't have been trying to dissuade you unless he was worried about your power! And don't worry about the computer…I'll destroy it once I'm done here."

Zero lifted his sword up and aligned it with his shoulder, pulling back on it and pointing it straight at his clone while X thought about what Zero said for a moment and then nodded his head, telling him confidently "I think that's all I needed to hear Zero. Thank you…We're both going to make it out of this alive." Zero smiled a little and said "Of course. I have no intention of spitting on all of your hard work by dying ever again, X. Now go! Take Sigma down!" X did not even need to let Zero finish his sentence as he leaped up the platforms and made his way for the passageway Sigma had gone down.

Once X had disappeared from sight, Zero focused all of his attention on his clone as it grinned maniacally his way, and with a firm grip on his beam saber and an expression of confidence he said "I haven't gotten used to this new body yet, but I'm not going to lose to a fake. Sigma is going to learn the hard way that he should've paid closer attention to my blueprints, because there is only one Zero!" The two Zeros then leaped right at each other, engaging in a battle of grand proportions…

But it is X we focus on at this moment, as he sprinted his way through the passage and eventually emerged right at the start of the computer facility after a good couple of minutes. Alia reminded him quickly that the timer had been restarted by Sigma, and there were now eleven minutes left on the clock. With the security system deactivated after his last excursion through this place, X rushed through the place as quickly as he could to catch up with Sigma, who he found no signs of his presence until he reached the room with the projector, where a hole in the ground had now been open up leading to a very deep part of the facility. X gripped onto his right arm cannon and leaped into the hole, knowing that the final battle with Sigma awaited him at the very bottom…

 _Next Time: Sigma's Ideals…X's Empathy_


	12. Final Chapter

**Final Chapter: The Undead Arbiter of Humanity, Neo Sigma**

Falling through the air past hundreds of feet of darkened machinery, X makes his way to a singule secluded room at the very bottom of his descent. Sigma was waiting for him in his new body, and the threat of the satellite dish attached to this very facility was still high. Zero said he would take care of the computer once he dealt with his clone, and X had plenty of faith in his revived friend to take care of business while he finished Sigma off. Countless people at the Maverick Hunter HQ were counting on him to succeed, and right now he was so far underground that he had a very low signal to the base, and thus Alia could not reach him very well.

It didn't matter though, X was going to succeed without having to have someone motivate him. He had his own motivation to rely on, and that's what will allow him to have the strength necessary to defeat Sigma. After a few more seconds, X passed through a hole in the ceiling to the solitary room and landed on the ground, his shock mechanisms within his boots preventing him from suffering the recoil. He kneels down a little bit and lifts his head up to look at Sigma, who was standing directly in front of him with a smirk on his face and his arms drawn out from his cape.

"I knew you'd come after me alone X." Sigma said arrogantly, and X lifted himself up and held a hand on his arm cannon while remarking "I'm not going to stop Sigma, not until I defeat you!" Sigma responded by holding his right hand out and saying "To pursue me so relentlessly…Good X, you're becoming more and more like a warrior with every battle you face. In due time, you'll be completely used to fighting…"

"The fighting will stop when all Mavericks are defeated, Sigma! I'll keep going until that happens, no matter what you try and throw at me!" X exclaimed, and Sigma told him in turn "You don't get it X…The world will never be free of threats, whether it be Mavericks, or the corrupt humans of the world abusing power and tools for their own gain. You'll always be a weapon pointed at others, never stopping until the day they deem you useless." "Then you don't understand humanity at all!" X exclaimed in response.

"I don't? Hahaha…That's funny, considering for all your talk of empathy and understanding…You know nothing about the darkness of humanity, X. But this is never going to amount to anything more than mere words, and neither side will bend. I will force my ideals to succeed over your empathy for the humans by crushing every last piece of metal within your body, X!" With that, Sigma grabbed onto his right shoulder and swung the cape right off of his body, summoning forth two sets of wolverine claws from his hands so he could shred it to pieces before grinding the metal claws together and remarking "This is where I take my vengeance, X!"

X raised his arm cannon and quickly shot at Sigma, but he responded by slashing his claws out to cut the little shots down before suddenly dashing right at X while using a movement similar to the Dash Boots X wears. X leaps back and connects to the wall before Sigma could slash through his body with a swing of his right claws. Sigma's attack ripped right through the floor, leaving very visible gashes and tearing out a good amount of circuitry in the process. X slides down the wall a little bit while switching to Overdrive Ostrich's colors and firing a couple of Sonic Slicers at Sigma's chest.

The attacks slip between the gaps on Sigma's claws as he lifted himself up, but they only managed to put a small slit into Sigma's chest as it makes contact with it. X quickly switches to Flame Stag's colors and charges up energy before he reached the ground, and upon leaping off the wall X fires the Speed Burner off to launch himself across the room as Sigma attempted to stab his claws forward. Sigma punctured the wall as X landed on the ground and turned himself around, using two normal Speed Burner shots to try and hit Sigma's back only for him to hold his other claws behind him and cut through the flames with ease.

Sigma then pulled his other claws from the wall and turned around, crossing his arms in front of his face and grinning before his body suddenly distorts into multiple forms before he vanishes all at once. X couldn't detect where Sigma had gone off to even with his scanning capabilities, so he decided to rely on instinct instead and leaped forward before Sigma could attack him from behind. His move turned out to be an appropriate one as Sigma reappeared above where he once stood and dived down with both of his claws.

But before he punctured the ground, Sigma teleported again and reappeared behind where X was now at a few seconds later, swinging his right claws straight down and cutting right through the back of X's armor with enough force to launch him forward as well. X is slammed against the wall on the other side of the room with some visible tears now on his back, though none of them run that deep into the armor. X pulls himself from the wall while Sigma crosses his arms in front of his chest and surged with electricity, summoning forth an arch of five violet balls over his body while X was recovering.

X turned around and switched to Crystal Snail's colors the moment he saw the orbs, and fired a Crystal Shot out from his arm cannon to hit one of the orbs and make it turn into a crystallized object that is able to reflect the other four orbs right back at Sigma before it lands on the ground. But Sigma had another tactic up his sleeve as he held his arms at the highest and lowest point he possibly could and created a wall of electricity between the claws to catch the orbs that were sent back him and then fires said wall straight at X.

The wall was big enough to leap over though, with X using the platform he had just created to do so while switching to Wheel Gator's colors and using both of his arm cannons to send a couple of Spin Wheels rolling along the ground at both sides of Sigma's body. Sigma didn't bother attacking the Spin Wheels, and instead leaped over them with a backflip and slammed his right claws into the wall behind him to stick to it and point his other ones right at X. Using the electricity powers he had been showing up until now, Sigma rapid fired a bunch of bolts from his left claws right down at X.

X hopped back and forth across the ground after he landed while moving backwards to get out of range of Sigma's attack while the Maverick leader grinded through the wall as he fell back down to the floor, but X was more than ready to strike him once he landed as he was charging up energy in his arm cannon to hit Sigma head-on. Once Sigma's feet touched the ground, X fired away, aiming straight for the Maverick's legs with all of his might. Sigma swept his right claw at his ground after pulling it from the wall, cutting right through the energy of the charged shot.

But then X leaped right at Sigma and switched out his arm cannon for his fist, going for a straight punch right into the jewel lodge onto Sigma's forehead. The punch was hard-hitting, cracking the jewel and making Sigma flinch a bit because of that. The flinch bought X enough time to use his left arm cannon and fire a charged shot that pushed him back as Sigma swung his left claw up in front of him, and though X got cut diagonally on the right side of his armor he managed to at least make his move worth it by damaging an important part of Sigma's body.

As well, his charged shot had managed to put a bit of a dent within Sigma's chest, one that would be ripe for exploiting once X got a chance to do so. While Sigma took a moment to collect himself, X tried to scan Sigma's body for a weakness, only to find a large "UNKNOWN" appearing underneath a copy of Sigma's frame, meaning that either his weakness could not be scanned, or he wasn't vulnerable to any of the Maverick weapon he had available. X lowers his arm cannon while holding onto it with his other hand, switching to Magna Centipede's weapon and hoping to break through the dent he had created with it.

However, Sigma crossed his arms and suddenly disappeared, and X turned around and aimed his arm cannon up thinking that the Maverick would appear above him like before. But then Sigma instead went against his expectations and appeared directly behind him and swiped his right claws diagonally up across the back of X's armor, digging deep through than before and pushing X right up into the ceiling at the same time. X hits the ceiling front first and then falls onto the ground on his back, flinching a little as he felt the front of his helmet crack but having enough functioning within himself to roll to the right before Sigma could stab both of his claws down into his chest.

X used a charged shot against the ground to quickly push himself onto his feet, and then Sigma got right in front of him and prepared for a downward slash with his left claws. However, X countered by throwing his right hand up and slamming it against Sigma's palm to stop him from bringing his claws closer for the moment, followed by swinging his other arm out to catch the other hand, locking both of their arms into a contest of strength as they grit their teeth at each other. X held himself straight up while Sigma pushed forward, and it inevitably didn't take long for the larger Sigma to get the upper hand against X.

X was pushed back, his body bending backward as he knees started to give way a little, and if he failed to counter this strength there's no doubt that Sigma would cut clean through him with his claws. Failure was not an option for X, and as he growled internally at this situation his helmet crystal suddenly responded to his determination and sheer will and glowed brightly, something Sigma immediately noticed right away as X started pushing back with plenty of force behind him, his hands glowing slightly and burning into the palms of Sigma's hands.

Sigma pulls away from X's body and leaped back, and the crystal stops glowing right then and there while Sigma remarked "That strange crystal on your helmet is bothering me yet again…Just what could it possibly be?" X remarked afterwards "What crystal are you talking about?" Sigma was surprised to hear that response, and grinned a little before saying "I see…You aren't aware of the power that crystal gives you. Hehehe, perhaps that is a good thing then."

Sigma quickly continued the battle by teleporting out of sight and putting himself directly behind X, but X turned around and backflipped out of the way of the Maverick's claw slash. While backflipping X had gotten the energy built up for a charged shot and took aim, launching it straight at Sigma's chest. Sigma cut through the charged shot while raising his arm up, and X pulled back on his arm cannon and prepared another charged shot without hesitation, firing it straight forward as Sigma created a wall of electricity between both claws to catch it.

Sigma then launched the wall at X, forcing him to switch to Wire Sponge's colors and fire a Strike Chain into the ceiling to pull himself out of the way of the electricity. Once the wall passed him by, X fell down to dodge the electric spheres Sigma sent his way, followed by X then kneeling on the ground and pointing his left arm cannon right at Sigma's legs, shooting out a couple Magnet Mines the moment he changed to Magna Centipede's colors. With Sigma's claws positioned the way they were, he was unable to cut the mines down in time and they attached to his knees, blowing up and taking off quite a bit of armor plating from the legs.

But Sigma doesn't falter in the slightest and slashed his claws out in a cross in front of his body, creating an X-like energy projection of six claw marks straight at his foe. X swerves his body to the right while holding onto his arm cannon, but the edges of the claw marks knick through the side of X's helmet, breaking off the part that allowed him to communicate with HQ. With some electricity coming out of his head, X focuses his sights on Sigma's chest again and prepared to fire a charged shot.

Sigma raised his claws up in preparation to defend himself, but the very second before he fired his charged shot X nudged his arm cannon up a mere inch and fired right at Sigma's face instead. The charged shot slips above the crossed claws and strikes Sigma right in the face, creating a small explosion that blows off a chunk of his head and makes Sigma stumble back in surprise. Following up on this, X leaps forward as Sigma's claws part, and with his other arm cannon out and some energy still stored he fires another charged shot point blank into Sigma's chest.

The shot pierced right through Sigma's armor thanks to the dent made earlier, and the charged shot struck the wall behind where Sigma stood with enough force to blow a hole through it. X's arm cannon stuck to the rim of the hole in Sigma's body as it limped down, and X quickly pulls back away and lets Sigma fall backwards flat onto the ground, with X panting a little from the amount of energy he used for all of his charged shots in a row. After a little time to relax, X whispered out "It's all over now…"

X turned around and prepared to try and get in contact with Alia, hoping that maybe there was still one part of his communication line that could be used. But he couldn't reach them no matter how hard he tried. "No signal…" X murmured before he looked around to try and find a way out, only for him to suddenly hear a rather eerie set of clinks and clanks behind him. X slowly turned around and looked at Sigma's body, and is shocked as he watches it slowly rise up off the ground and limp while it levitated in mid-air. Half of Sigma's face was blow off to reveal the cybernetic elements behind it, and his chest still had a hole in it, making the body's movements all the more bizarre to X.

"What's going on here?" X stated in utter shock as he raised his arm cannon and began charging energy. As he fired a charged shot to destroy parts of Sigma's body bit-by-bit, a voice suddenly echoed through the room in a creepy, cybernetic distorted voice _"Hahahaha! You think this is over X? You really don't get it…"_ X recognized the voice as belonging to Sigma's own, but the Maverick's mouth did not move as those words came out. X kept firing while Sigma spoke on, with the Maverick commenting as only his head remained _"Shoot me all you want X…I don't need this body to defeat you."_

With one more charged shot at max power, X obliterates Sigma's head and recoils back a couple feet, tiring himself out for a little bit as Sigma's laughter continues to eerily echo throughout the room. X grits his teeth and assumed that Sigma had somehow gotten into another, much larger body much like the last time they fought. But the truth of Sigma's plans was far, far different than anything X could have ever predicted. As the light fades away from the room a little bit, a green light shaped like a head begins to flicker into existence.

The light materializes fully into a wireframe shaped like a gigantic copy of Sigma's head, and as X widened his eyes the head wasted no time in opening it's mouth and unleashing a powerful viral shockwave all-around. The shockwave hits X directly and throws him against the wall, with the room rumbling from the power Sigma exuded. X felt a brief recoil of pain through his entire body as he grumbled a little and then slowly pushed himself back onto his feet. In this strange new form, Sigma turned to look at X and said while sounding a bit unhinged _"I told you X! You can never kill me! Destroy me again and again if that pleases you, but I will never die!"_

X holds his arm cannon and angrily asked "W-What are you, Sigma?!" Sigma responded by laughing at first, then he followed up by saying with way too much enthusiasm in his voice _"I am far beyond all Reploids and robots that have and ever shall be! My destiny is to rule this world with all Mavericks by my side, and obstacles like you shall be purged from existence! Prepare to follow Persius and Magna Centipede to the scrap heap, Maverick Hunter X!"_ This understandably struck a nerve in X's mind, and he clenched his arm cannon tightly as his reaction at first.

Boiling with righteous fury, X looked up at Sigma, ignored the increasingly prominent warnings on his scanner that Sigma's current form was giving him, and exclaimed with all of his might "NO MORE! I will NOT let you get away this time Sigma. Come back with as many bodies as you want…I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL!" _"I only need this one to defeat you X! You will not be able to lay a finger on me again, regardless of what you try!"_ Sigma exclaimed in response as X charged energy in his arm cannon and went for a quick attack on Sigma's new body.

But Sigma just teleported out of the way and reappeared on the other side of the room as the charged shot obliterated the corner of metal above him. Sigma then laughed as he swiftly summoned about ten varying Reploid drones and sent them all at X. X switched to Overdrive Ostrich's colors and quickly sent out as many Sonic Slicers as he could from both arm cannons while running towards Sigma. Once the drones were cleared out X quickly switched to Flame Stag's colors and fired a couple Speed Burners right up at Sigma.

Sigma teleported again, this time reappearing behind X and hanging his head down so when he opened his mouth he could unleash a powerful laser beam from within that swirled around with cascading spiral energy as it burned through the ground. Sigma moved himself towards X while continuing to fire this beam off, and it was so large in size that X had little room to move in order to avoid it. Leaping from the ground and off to the left wall, X passed directly in front of Sigma's head and landed on the ground opposite of the beam, turning himself around and quickly attempting to strike him with a Silk Shot.

But the attack was very ineffective in hurting Sigma, leading to the Maverick teleporting to the other side of the room and suddenly summoning forth a swarm of twenty or so various Reploid drones to swarm at X. X stepped back and used Sonic Slicers to try and cut through the Reploids, but there were so many of them that he was pressed against a wall rather quickly before he could take them all down. The drones cover his body and start nicking his armor rapidly, with X finding his arms pressed against the wall and preventing him from fighting back for the moment.

He switched to Flame Stag's colors and charged up as much as he could, unleashing flames around his body to burn up the rest of the Reploids. His armor was cut into quite a lot as he stands upright on the ground, and worst of all Sigma's head was suddenly gone. But that wouldn't be that way for long as Sigma suddenly reappeared around X's body, trapping him within his wireframe form and dragging him through the air towards the center of the room, punishing his body with a bombardment of attacks from all sides while X is stunned and unable to do anything to fight back.

Once Sigma was done, he spit X out and smashed him against the eastern wall of the room, with large chunks of his armor broken off and thrown onto the ground. X was placed onto his knees, panting quite a bit as Sigma taunted him for being unable to harm him with a jaunty laugh and a proclamation of _"I told you X! Your victory was never meant to be! You will die here, and then I will turn all of your allies into Mavericks!"_ X looks up at Sigma as his vision short-circuited a little, his head twitching from the chunk of metal knocked out of the side of his head.

With his teeth grit and his body looking as though it would break down entirely if Sigma attacked one more time, but X pushed himself up slowly as Sigma continued to taunt him, saying in a rather punctuated manner _"All of the Maverick Hunters! All of the Reploids you've failed to protect! And even Zero himself will fall to my control! HAHAHA!"_ X grit his teeth as hard as he could, looking up at Sigma with all of his anger welling up inside of him to the point that he could not control himself for much longer, leading to his crystal glowing on his head as he exclaimed "Zero…is not…YOUR PUPPET! NO ONE WILL BE YOUR PUPPET AGAIN!"

X suddenly shifts to Crystal Snail's colors as his body radiated with his energy, and with him swinging his arms out he suddenly unleashed a wave of crystalline energy from across his body without charging at all. Before Sigma could attack, the Maverick leader suddenly finds himself frozen in time, with crystal sparkles around his form as X quickly swapped to Flame Stag's colors and then Bubble Crab's, using the charged variation of both weapons to thrust right through Sigma's head while surrounded by hardened bubbles and flames, shattering apart parts of his form and making his color change from green to light-blue.

X then quickly turned around and switched to Magna Centipede's colors, firing off the magnetized black hole and then quickly going to Wheel Gator's colors to fire two charged Spin Wheel that move around the pull of the black hole as they grind through Sigma's body, breaking it apart further and making the colors change to dark blue and then violet once it had passed through all the way. Following up on this, X widened his eyes and switched to Wire Sponge's colors, using a large Strike Chain to latch onto the back of Sigma's head and zap it full of electricity, which makes his colors change to orange in a matter of seconds.

While doing that, X swipes his left arm cannon through the air, sending out waves of Sonic Slicers that rip through Sigma's head like nothing, turning the color to a light shade of red. X then switched to Morph Moth's colors and fired five large chunks of junk right at Sigma's head, breaking out large chunks of his form and making his colors finally become dark red. Sigma is then unfrozen from time, noticing that his body was greatly torn apart and that X was no longer in front of him. _"W-What?!"_ Sigma exclaimed in disbelief before he turned around and tried to pull himself back together, noticing the glow of X's crystal and the energy exuding greatly around his body.

" _No! You will not use that crystal against me again! DIE X!"_ Sigma exclaims, opening his mouth and preparing to fire a gigantic laser from within to annihilate X. However, with light dragging itself into X's body from all directions like a radiant spark, X held his arms in front of his chest and thought back to what Dr. Light had told him about his Second Armor. _"You can only use it once X…So use it wisely…"_ Was what was repeated in X's head, and with his eyebrows slanted and a firm expression on his face he knew above all else that there was no better time to use the Second Armor's ultimate technique than now.

With his anger fueling his voice, X swung his arms out and proclaimed right as Sigma fired the laser from his mouth "Giga…CRUSH!" The energy he had built up was thus unleashed, creating a cataclysmic explosion so powerful that X's body lifted up off the ground and he let out a hot-blooded roar. His energy broke through Sigma's laser with ease and quickly consumed the Maverick himself. The room was filled with flashes of white and black light as the walls and ground could barely hold back X's raw power, and Sigma let out a roar of pain and anger as his form is slowly broken apart by explosions across his entire body.

" _D-Damn it! H-How is that crystal able to provide you with this much power?! Graaaaaaaaaah!"_ Sigma exclaimed, and as he was halfway through his destruction he began to laugh crazily, telling X bluntly as he perished _"Y-You haven't seen the last of me! I WILL return! A-And even though he didn't join me at first…I can assure you X that so long as the doctor's words hold true, Zero WILL fall under my control! Enjoy your victory now…for it will not laaaaaaaasstttt!"_ Sigma's form disintegrated from sight as he reached the end of his sentence, and just as quickly after X stops firing off the Giga Crush and falls to the floor…Or rather, whatever charred metal remained of it.

There was barely anything recognizable in this room now that X was done with it, just nothing but the traces of destruction X had caused with his last resort. But Sigma was seemingly dead for now, and that was all that mattered. However, in doing so, X had exhausted all of his remaining energy, and not only were his eyelids barely able to stay open but his arms were limped forward and his legs were going to give way any second. Worst of all, the entire computer facility began to start trembling heavily, with explosions of various sizes going off across the area, many of them out of X's line of sight.

"I guess…Zero did it…Heh, sorry Zero, but looks like I'm the one who won't be coming back this time." X murmured in a disappointed tone before he let out a deflated sigh and let his body fall forward, but before he could come close to hitting the ground a familiar face caught him on top of his left shoulder, making certain to put X's right arm behind his neck so he could keep him held up to the best of his ability. X looked up and to the right of him, seeing Zero there with a bit of a smile on his face as he said in a slightly teasing tone "Come on X, I think you'd enjoy resting at HQ more than you would here."

"Z-Zero…? You managed to…take care of the computer?" X inquired in a tired tone of voice, and Zero said as he stood completely upright and looked at his friend "Yeah. I wish I had time to explain X, but we're going to follow Sigma to the grave if we stick around any longer." Lifting a hand up to his helmet, Zero quickly proclaimed as the ceiling began to give way above him and X "Alia! I got X and the computer is destroyed! Bring us back to base, pronto!"

" _I'm already on it. Just me a second to lock onto your signals and…There! Returning you both to base now!"_ Alia proclaimed through Zero's communicator, and the beam of light appears on both his and X's bodies and teleports them away from the collapsing facility. From the view of all Maverick Hunters back at HQ, whether it be at the command center or across the base, they watch an overhead view of the X-Hunter's Base and the computer facility as both of those places are completely obliterated by the series of gargantuan explosions that were set off with the main computer's destruction.

As the X-Hunter's base falls into the sea, the Maverick Hunters all burst into cheer, with Alia putting down her headset and letting out a sigh of relief before remarking "That was far too close…Good work X, you and Zero did it…" Signas, who had finally returned to base after taking care of his own duties, laid his hand down on the back of Alia's chair and cracked a little smile, saying to his fellow Maverick Hunter calmly "They did very well…As did you though Alia. X couldn't have gotten this far without you. Now then, I think we should prepare a hero's welcome for our victorious hunters…"

After making it back safely to the HQ, Zero carried X to the healing pods so he could get some of his energy back for now. Once an hour had passed with Zero waiting patiently for X to heal, the two Maverick Hunters decided to make their way to the central command room, and upon entering they are greatly surprised when hundreds of their fellow Maverick Hunters had gathered here and erupted into applause and cheers the moment Zero and X make their presence known. The two stand there for a good few seconds before Zero closed his eyes and smiled, telling the stunned X "Go ahead…This one's for you buddy."

Zero folded his arms together and let X walk towards the crowd, keeping his distance away from the glory that X had earned as any good friend would. Signas was waiting for him at the very center of the room, and with his arms folded behind his back he lifted his head up high and waited for the crowd to quiet down before saying "X…As of today, you have managed to fight back the X-Hunter menace and put down their efforts for good, even going as far as to stop the revived Sigma…On behalf of all Reploids and humans out there, we would like to give you our thanks for a job well-done."

"I didn't do it alone though. I have to thank Alia for her help…And most importantly…" Turning from Alia to look behind him, X gives a thumbs-up to Zero and says "I couldn't have done it without Zero." Signas closed his eyelids and smiled at that comment, especially with the humbleness X showed, and remarked on such behavior by saying "Of course. You three make a great team, and it's an honor to have you all here to help exterminate the Maverick threat. But for now X, I think you have deserved some rest above all else."

"Thank you Signas, but I will try and get back to work as soon as I can. Just because the X-Hunters and Sigma are gone doesn't mean I can afford to slack off." X stated while looking back at Signas, and with an agreeing nod of his head Signas said "Do what you must X, but my offer still stands." With that little conversation out of the way, X was left to speak with the rest of the Maverick Hunters, and in time Zero himself also got involved as some of them welcomed him back to the HQ.

Zero was happy to be back where he belonged, and gladly talked with his comrades about some of the changes to his body. After a few minutes though, X got away from the conversing and got over to Zero, saying to him in a friendly tone of voice "How you holding up Zero?" Zero sheathed his beam saber and looked at X, telling him with a smile on his face "Pretty good. Doppler and Cain did a good job reconstructing my body…I feel as good as new. Didn't even take a scratch on me against that clone Sigma made."

"You don't feel anything wrong?" X inquired with a little bit more of a serious tone in his voice, and Zero acknowledged that change in tone by asking "…What's up X? Something you want to tell me?" X looked around a little, and then guides him and Zero over to a part of the room with the least amount of Reploids around and then says quietly "Zero…There's something I want to tell you."

"I'm all ears. I had the feeling you had something on your mind since we got back." Zero whispered, and X said afterwards "Zero, before I destroyed Sigma, he said-" Before X could get through his sentence, the door to the command center opened up, and who else would come through but the Reploid responsible for Zero's rebirth himself, Dr. Doppler. Making his presence known by stating "Has anyone seen Zero and/or X?" This stopped X from finishing what he was saying and he turned his head to look at Doppler with a firm glare, noticing Dr. Cain's holographic form appearing on top of a small spider-like walker as Doppler noticed them both and the two made their way over.

Dr. Doppler had a brimming smile on his face as he approached the two, saying while he nudged his glasses "I see you two both made it back safe and sound. Congratulations to both of you!" Doppler extended his hand out to shake X's own, and hesitantly X did that, not wanting his thoughts to known as he said honestly "Thank you for helping to put Zero back together, Dr. Doppler." Doppler grinned brightly and closed his eyelids, saying to X as he pulled his hand away "But of course. It was quite an enjoyable experience, one I hope to be sharing many more of with you and your fellow Maverick Hunters for months to come."

"H-Huh?" X said in a tone of surprise, and Dr. Cain spoke up at that point to explain "After repairing Zero, Doppler and I both came to an agreement that his services would be better suited here to restore broken Maverick Hunters and Reploids that need help. That way we can avoid incidents like what happened to Overdrive Ostrich." Doppler said confidently towards himself "If a complicated robot like Zero can be repaired by me, then any lesser Reploid will be a cinch! And while they are being restored, I will have many places for them to rest and regain their motor functions back at my personal creation, Doppler Town!"

With Doppler offering his services to the Maverick Hunters weighing on his thoughts along with everything else, X was understandably skeptical, but Zero stepped forward and said "Well, I can vouch for your work doctor. Welcome to the Maverick Hunters, and thank you again for your help in restoring my body." "Gladly. And if you come across any kinks or problems, just come to me and I shall repair them post-haste! Now come Cain, we must officially introduce my brilliance to my new partners!" Doppler said after pulling his arm away from Zero, and he quickly turned around and went off to speak to the other Maverick Hunters.

"Why…I have not see such life in Doppler since I created him. Challenging his mind with Zero's rebirth certainly seems to have helped him…" Cain said, letting out a grainy sigh before he looked at X and said "I wish I could spend some more time with you X, but I must take care of a couple things with the government now that your mission is complete. I may have lost my body, but the pain of politics still plagues me…" Cain went off onto his way, and now that Doppler was out of hearing range X slanted his eyebrows and hummed internally before Zero said "So X, what were you trying to tell me?"

X turned to look at Zero and told him quietly "Before Sigma died…He said that a doctor told him that you should've been a Maverick working at his side." Zero widened his eyes and said with his arms crossed "What? A doctor told him that? …Wait, are you suggesting the possibility that Doppler is secretly an ally of Sigma?" Zero firmed his expression upon realizing what X was getting at, and X nodded his head and said "I think there's a very good chance he is. That's why I was wondering if you felt anything wrong in your body…"

"X, Cain was watching over my reconstruction as well. I don't think he'd fail to notice any strange parts being inserted into my body." Zero said, and X glanced back at Cain's holographic form and remarked "Unless this hologram of Dr. Cain is a fake implanted into our base by Doppler to try and get us to trust him." Zero responded with "It's possible, but we can't jump to conclusions here X. For all we know, Sigma is trying to sow suspicions in your head…"

"But we should still keep an eye on him, right Zero?" X inquired while looking at his friend, and Zero nodded his head and said while gesturing a hand out beside his head and closing his eyelids "It can't hurt, but lets not try and force the issue too much X. If he is our enemy, then causing an incident within the HQ would be exactly the type of move he'd make…" X looked at Doppler, who was enjoying a rousing and happy conversation with Signas at the moment, and with him not even realizing it he moved his left hand away from his arm cannon and said with a quiet tone filled with suspicion "Yeah…That's all we can do for now…"

 _Next Time: Epilogue…_


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue: Sigma's Secret**

A few days after the X-Hunters had been defeated, we find Dr. Doppler by himself in the laboratory he has set up within the Maverick Hunter HQ. He was looking over the remnants of fallen Mavericks with a look of bliss on his face that could barely be described otherwise, with him saying as he pulled up a chunk of metal "Such a wonderful time this is…I get to work up close and personal with all these interesting pieces of metal from fallen Mavericks, and most importantly of all…"

Doppler turns around and looks at a bucket filled with rather familiar looking parts, spreading his arms out and saying with a happy chuckle "I can start to examine these remnants of Sigma's first body that I plundered from the ocean floor. Now lets see what secrets you've been hiding, Sigma…" Doppler takes a part of Sigma's body from the bucket and brings it over to a scanner he had set up in the corner of the room. The scanner quickly does it's job and goes over Sigma's part, and a three-dimensional wireframe of it appears on the screen beside where Doppler stood.

Doppler examined what the scanned was saying, remarking in an intrigued tone "Fascinating…For being the first Reploid ever made, Cain did quite a fine job putting you together Sigma. Such a shame you wasted your talents on being a Maverick…But what exactly is it that made you go rogue? Lets find out, shall we?" Doppler clicked a tiny button on the side of his glasses to increase the zoom on his vision, looking into the finer details of Sigma's part until he noticed an abnormality within.

Widening his eyes a bit in intrigued surprise, Doppler noticed some odd life form floating around within the part, leading to him saying "Oh? Could it be…? Is this a virus?" Doppler moved forward and examined the virus for a few seconds, squinting for a few seconds before whispering "I feel as though I have seen this before…Hmmm…" Thinking about his situation for a little bit, Doppler then turned around and went for his table, picking up a piece of broken metal with a familiar red tint. This metal, naturally, came from Zero's body during the reconstruction process.

Doppler placed the metal on the scanner and picked Sigma's piece off, and remarked towards his scanner "Run a comparison scan…Identify for any viral life forms." After a few seconds, Zero's part is scanned, leading to a brief sound going off to signify that something had been noticed. Doppler widened his eyes in curious fascination, leading to him lifting Sigma's part in front of his face and saying "Interesting…So Zero's body had small traces of the same virus Sigma carried, only in a weaker form…I wonder, perhaps then, if-"

Before Doppler could finish his sentence, he was suddenly overcome with a jolt of pain inside of his head, one so sharp that it paralyzed his body and made him suddenly drop Sigma's part. A few seconds after that, Doppler begins to tremble, and slowly he lifted his right hand up to the side of his head and stuttered out "W-What's going on here…?! My body…is moving…against it's will…! W-Why?!" As he speaks out his distress, a laugh starts to echo within his head, followed by a familiar voice telling him _"I'm afraid you won't be peeking any further into this…Dr. Doppler."_

"S-Sigma? H-H-How…? How are you still alive?!" Doppler proclaimed in confusion, followed by Sigma's voice telling him _"Hehehe…None of that will matter to you anymore doctor. Resist all you want, but now you shall be under my control…And I cannot wait to use your services to continue my work."_ Doppler grit his teeth and tried his hardest to resist, groaning in pain as Sigma laughed inside of his mind and stated _"Your resistance is great, I must admit…But that will just make it all the more fun to break you. We're going to have a lot of fun for the next few months, Dr. Doppler…Hahahaha….HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"_

 _To be continued…_

* * *

 **Author's Note:  
**

Whew, took three months about but it's all over now...At least this one is. Thanks for reading along guys, I'm glad I picked up a good fanbase on this one, and I assure you I don't plan on stopping with just this obviously. Except Maverick Hunter X3 to come out relatively soon...Maybe about two to three weeks as an estimate. I got something I need to finish up first before then. After Maverick Hunter X3 you won't see Maverick Hunter X4 for a while, mostly because I want to focus on other stuff and I want that one to really, REALLY turn out well. Though speaking of X4, expect some elements from that to appear prematurely in Maverick Hunter X3, much like Doppler appeared early for this one.

Other than that, thank you all for reading, and see you later.


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